So, as you have all probably gathered, the previous chapter – the Prologue, was set in current/present time. This chapter and the next couple however are set in the PAST... Late Season Three Spoilers are contained in this chapter. Specifically on episodes, Hiatus – Parts 1 and 2.
Enjoy and Review... Pretty please?
Dinner at the White House, personally, she'd expected it to be better. Yet all it was was a cock fight, politicians, semantics, all that sort of Jazz. Dinner wasn't too bad, quite pleasant actually.
If only, the company was better, minus Condi, which was probably the best company she'd have at these shin digs.
The shrill ringtone of her Blackberry burst through the talkative air, thankfully majority of people were already too preoccupied to take notice or show any interest.
Caller ID said DiNozzo.
"This better be good DiNozzo." She answered
"It's Gibbs; he's being transported to Portsmouth, Trauma One." He said quickly
Jenny was speechless, Oh God, she thought.
"There was an explosion..." He began to explain but she'd already hung up on him.
Jethro, hold on. Please, honey.
"Condi, I need to get to Portsmouth, Jethro's in Trauma One." She said but her voice was shaky and Condi nodded, understanding, they'd been old friends for years.
Please, Jethro, please be okay.
Apologising briefly to the President and surrounding colleagues, before she raced out of the building with her security detail, almost forgetting her red silk scarf.
I'm coming, Jethro.
She walked down the hallway, death gripping her red clutch, her matching heels clicking on the surface, she approached the reception area.
Jethro, you need to be okay.
"Conditions on Special Agent Jethro Gibbs." She requested, as she handed over her Director NCIS Identification, her tone quite formal.
The Nurse took it and opened it up, examining it. She looked back at Jenny before typing in his surname on the database.
"Trauma One, No condition listed yet." She began to explain; as soon as Jenny heard the first two words she walked away and tried going through the Trauma One doors that said Emergency, Authorised Personnel Only.
The door didn't budge.
Jenny felt like her heart was being ripped out, frustrated, angry. She needed to see him, no excuses.
"You can't go in there, Director, it's restricted," The nurse said, "To medical personnel."
Jenny huffed.
She turned around and walked back to the reception desk, an unhappy look on her face, "This isn't about turf, you know." She stated clearly, she just needed to know that he was okay.
"Oh, I know that." Said the nurse smartly
"Okay." Jenny muttered, maybe she could reason with this woman.
The woman opposite her stood up, "It's about rules," she retorted, looking at Jenny she continued with courage, "And one really big one is, non medical cannot enter Trauma One unless they're carried in."
Oh, you want to play that game with me, Jenny thought, big mistake.
"Get me a gurney." She said seriously.
The nurse chuckled in amusement, "That's good. Get me a gurney." As she laughed, "I like that."
"I left a dinner at the White House to come here." Jenny admitted, her voice low, hoping the nurse would be sympathetic.
"I'm impressed," she said, Jenny nodded, "Really I am. But that still doesn't change the rules."
"I was hoping that I didn't have to resort to this." Jenny said, knowing full well that she'd won, and she opened her clutch and grabbed her blackberry.
"Shooting your way in?" questioned the nurse
"Don't be silly," Jenny said, faking her own amusement, "I don't have my weapon." She continued as she showed how she really felt; pissed off and she accompanied it with an ice cold glare. She looked at her phone and went into speed dial.
"Calling the President." The Nurse joked
"Now that would be overkill." She said seriously as the other person on the phone answered.
"Condi? Jenny." Said Jenny loudly and the nurses' smirk disappeared instantly.
"Are you in?" Condi asked
"No, I don't have his condition yet."
"Well, why the hell not?"
"The head nurse won't let me into Trauma." Said Jenny
"Let me talk to her." Condi demanded, Jenny handed over the phone to the nurse and raised her eyebrows, in a way that said 'Top that.'
The nurse took the phone and held it to her ear, following instructions. "I understand Ma'am." She said before handing the phone back to Jenny.
"Thank you, Condi." She said before hanging up and she raced to the doors of Trauma One, which this time, opened.
She almost ran inside, unable to contain her emotions any longer.
"I wanna celebrate and live my life." Shouted a young brunette to her favourite song this week, as she kicked back her first drink of the night, orange juice mixed with vodka, something strong enough to take the edge off but weak enough to let her drive home tonight.
She scampered off to the dance floor as she found her group of friends that were already dancing, absorbed with the music.
"We gonna rock this club!" She shouted again, getting caught up in the music as she danced; moving her hips, hands in the air, smile on her lips.
It wasn't an unusual occurrence that she'd be out clubbing; it was something that had now became more of a necessity... Now with her job at NCIS, she was studying law and doing work at the Navy Yard, it was now looked at as something to take the edge off.
Before she knew it, the song was over and another one pumped itself through the speakers, normally, she wouldn't care and she'd just keep dancing but the vibrating off her phone was alerting her to a call.
She raced to the bathroom and answered it. "Hello?"
"Honey, it's me. You need to get to Portsmouth Trauma One immediately. It's Jethro, he was in an explosion." Said the person on the other line, she hung up the phone as soon as she could, not even replying to the caller.
It felt like the world was spinning. No, it can't be. Please, God, not him.
She ran out of the club and to her car, speeding so much that she would definitely be getting a fine, but she didn't care.
Not one bit.
She just needed to get to the hospital as soon as she possibly could, it didn't matter about the consequences.
It almost seemed like a minute or two after Jenny entered Trauma One, a familiar person was lurking in the shadows, following her. Her eyes raw from crying, the redhead took the younger woman into her arms and planted a kiss on her brunette hair.
"It'll be okay, Kylie. Have faith, honey." Jenny said as she let go of the younger woman
"It won't be okay, Jenny, it's not okay." She said loudly, then in a hush toned voice so that no one would hear her, she continued, "This is Gibbs, we're talking about. He can't be hurt, he can't be. It's not fair!"
"I know, it isn't, but we don't even know what's going on yet. We need to speak to a doctor." Advised Jenny
You need to tell him, he needs to know. Kylie felt like telling Jenny, she had to live in secret, she didn't want to anymore.
"Excuse me," she asked the nearest Doctor, "Could you please update me on Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I'm Director Jenny Shepard, NCIS and this is Kylie Shepard, my baby sister." She lied easily.
At least her daughter was dressed up enough to make it look like they had gotten the call when they were together; Kylie was wearing a black dress.
"Doctor Jenkins, please come with me." He instructed them as they began walking through the long corridors
"He's suffered a concussion, but there are no signs of intra-cerebral haemorrhaging." The Doctor explained
"He's going to be okay though, right?" Kylie asked, even thought it really was more of a statement than a question
"Uh, he should be fine." He replied, honestly to the best of his knowledge
"I don't wanna hear should be, I wanna hear will be." Kylie snapped as they came to a room, Jenny looked in through the window and her heart felt like it was breaking into small shavings of glass
"Kylie." Jenny warned
"Should be is not positive." She snapped again
"Enough, Kylie." Jenny said, pleading her almost to stop, Jenny turned back to the window and watched, Kylie joined her silently and looked through the window
"I'm always positive, Ms. Shepard. But with a concussion, until... Until he wakes, no one knows what's going on inside his brain." The Doctor tried to calm her down
Jenny and Kylie both looked through the window and neither of them wanted to leave.
The only thing they wanted to do was cry, but being the strong willed women they were, they kept the tears at bay.
She stayed at the hospital all night last night, praying for some form of a miracle. She'd changed into a suit; Kylie had left earlier that morning as she had to go to work.
Even though she worked at NCIS, it was more of an order by Jenny. She could see the pain in her daughter's eyes, so she had sent her back, in some hope that she would do what she always did, do what was needed in the moment and dwell on it later.
Jenny supposed that Kylie learnt that from both of her parents.
To say that the situation was complicated was putting it lightly.
All she wanted to do was ask for forgiveness and tell him the truth, but he was in a coma, there had been no change in his condition, he was stable, he was alive at least.
It was safe enough to tell him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, it could be a secret between them but then she'd be breaking one of his famous rules.
The best way to keep a secret, keep it to yourself, if you must, tell one other person.
She had watched over him all night, her security detail would do coffee runs for her and brought her some breakfast, she'd had no shut eye, but nothing changed, except the intensifying feeling in her gut of something not quite right, or perhaps that could have just been the guilt.
Her mother was going to kill her.
Kylie knew that, but that wasn't the point. She was at her mother's townhouse in Georgetown, instead of at work; she'd called in sick and called in a couple of favours that she'd been owed.
She had just unlocked the door and locked it behind her, she went upstairs and to a hidden room that only two people knew about.
It was the attic, even though it just looked like a storage cupboard, there was a secret entrance into a sound proof room.
Kylie gained entry, hit the light switch and there was her most beloved object, the one thing that reminded her of her childhood.
A piano, but in this case, it was a keyboard, purely based on the fact that they couldn't fit a grand piano up here.
Nevertheless, she sat down and turned the contraption on.
Savouring the moment of silence as she began playing freely, not caring what notes she hit.
And for the first time in thirteen years, she cried.
She cried uncontrollably.
Let me know what you think. :) Xx