"I'm not going!" Jenny's shrill proclamation was loud enough to be heard in the hallways and had Abby wincing.
"If you don't go then you have to spend another week in the hospital." Gibbs answered immediately.
"I'd rather stay here." Oh, how true Jenny's words were.
"Come on, Jen, please. Just give me a chance!" Gibbs pleaded.
"This is the only way you can be released." Doctor Reynolds inputted with a sigh. He's known from the moment he'd been assigned this case that this woman was stubborn and so far nothing he'd seen had proved to him otherwise.
"Fine." Jenny snapped, feeling cornered by both her doctor and by Gibbs.
"I'll go get the release forms." Reynolds announced, hurrying from the room.
Gibbs was silent as he studied Jenny.
They both opened their mouths to speak at the same time when Doctor Reynolds reappeared. The black-haired man offered the papers to Jenny with a pen. Everything was signed in less than two minutes.
A nurse, whose name tag read Madeline, appeared and helped Jenny to the bathroom so she could change and then helped her into a wheel chair. To see what Hollis had done made the bile rise in Gibbs's throat. Jenny was so independent and it was hard to see her like this and even harder to realize that he was semi-to blame.
"Jethro?" Jenny's voice broke through his haze and he looked down at her, taking note of her worried expression.
"I'm fine, Jen." He assured her, taking the bag from the nurse and placing it on his shoulder before taking hold of the wheel chair. Instantly a memory flashed in his mind of another redhead in another wheel chair at another hospital.
"Look at how tiny she is, Jethro! She's absolutely perfect." Shannon smiled up at her marine as she held a wiggling little bundle.
"She is, Shannon. Adorable too. I hope she looks like you when she gets older."
"I hope she looks like you."
"I love you, Shannon.
"I love you too, Jethro. And we love you, little Kelly." Shannon's last words were directed at the bundle which was now crying.
Gibbs was brought out of his memories only to realize he'd takenJenny to his car. He blinked in surprise before opening the car's backseat door and throwing her bag on the seat. His next move was to open the door to the passenger seat and help Jenny in.
The wheel chair was returned to a nearby nurse and Gibbs climbed into his car. The first stop was Jenny's house to get some clothes and other things she would need.
Jenny refused his help going into the house but as she went up the stairs she nearly fell. The only reason it was nearly was because Gibbs had been following her and had caught her. This now resulted in their faces being centimeters apart.
"Your breath smells like bourbon." Jenny sighed, her eyes searching Jethro's.
"I was drinking, Jen, trying to figure out why I hadn't realized something sooner."
"What hadn't you realized?"
"How much I love you."
Gibbs was unsure who bridged the gap or made the first move but the next thing he knew, he was kissing her like there was no tomorrow and she was kissing him back. It was a scene from a past life; two people in love, kissing on the stair steps.
Finally for lack of air they were forced to pull apart. Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and guided her to the upstairs landing, just standing there for a second, running his thumb lightly over her cheek.
"Jethro, tell me, does this have anything to do with how guilty you feel over what happened to me?" Jenny's lip trembled as she awaited the answer, a tear running silently down her cheek.
Gibbs kissed the tear away and pulled her closer. "No, Jen. I'm not feeling guilty and trying to make it up to you…at least not for what Hollis did. I am feeling guilty that I treated you so badly and didn't tell you how much I loved you up until now."
Jenny rested her head on his shoulder, a genuine smile lighting up her face.
"I love you, Jenny."
"I love you too, Jethro."
"I love happy endings! They are so rare!" Tony announced.
"You are seriously quoting New Moon..that twilight movie?" McGee asked in complete shock, trying not to laugh.
"How did you even know what one that was from?" Tony demanded.
"Sarah made me go with here." The Probie defended.
"Guys, shut up! I'm watching this!" Abby gestured to the screen in her lab.
"I knew bugging Jenny's house was a good idea." She said to Bert, her stuffed hippo. "Deep down at least. I mean, I couldn't agree with it right away. Tony suggested it after all."
"Umm…Abby, you might want to turn it off before we have a porn video on our hands…" Tony pointed at the screen where the kiss the couple was sharing was beginning to grow heated.
"I am glad Jenny has found her happiness at last." Ziva smiled happily. "But I do not think that Hollis Mann will allow it to last all that long."
The rest nodded in agreement and made silent vowels to protect the precarious state their family was in.
"Shit!" Tony exclaimed. "We're in a catch 22. We can't go on being mad at Gibbs because it'll piss Jenny off but if we stop and act happy for them then we have to figure out explaining how the heck we found out."
"You tell them, you're the senior field agent!" McGee chirped in immediately.
"Oh noo, we draw straws!"
"Because that worked so well when you wound up having to ask the Director what we should do about finding her lace—umm…bottoms in her glovebox." Abby countered.
"Fine then we become emotionless robots."
"Deal."
***Author's Note***
Thank you, Alix33. I really appreciate the reviews and comments and corrections.
For everyone-
Don't think there will be no more drama. I still have an un-Hollis related twist up my sleeve that I promise absolutely no one will see coming. Mwahahaha.
-C.E.S.