Jethro watched the redhead sleep against his chest. He'd almost lost her. As agents, their lives were meant to be put on the line every day. They shared the same sense of duty; it carried them day-to-day. He was a chauvinist. He'd rather see a man die or come close to death than a woman. It still felt like yesterday that he lost Special Agent Caitlin Todd. She would always be remembered for many reasons, but he hated one of those would be remembering her as the first female team member he'd ever lost in the line of duty. He sighed and held his wife tighter. He'd make sure to never let her go again.
Moments later, Jenny began to stir. She nuzzled her face into the crook of Jethro's neck with a groan.
"Jen?"
"Hurts."
Gibbs nodded his head. She had overdone it. He knew she had, but it wouldn't have done any good to say anything. He would have had better luck nailing water to a tree than telling her to take it easy.
Jenny's arm ached. Her whole body felt as if knives were being stabbed into her. She bit her lip while Jethro carefully searched the blankets around her. He found the morphine button and pressed.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He kissed her lips gently and left the bed to go to the bathroom. She let out a sigh of relief as the morphine dulled the pain, drifting into a drugged sleep.
In the bathroom, Jethro washed his hands and put cold water on his face. He stared into the mirror and shook his head. He had finished what Jenny had started, but he wished she had confided in him all those years ago. Jethro understood, and it wasn't a battle he was going to begin with her. If he'd been in her place, he would have done the same. He exited the bathroom and glanced at the hospital bed, noticing Jenny had fallen back into a deep sleep. He noticed Elizabeth and Helen outside the door talking and decided to see what the two were in deep conversation about.
"It was over $2000," Lizzie told her grandmother, eyes widening as her father stepped into the hallway.
"What was?" he asked.
Helen smiled at him. "A first class ticket from LAX to Reagan," she explained. The 72 year old was proud of herself.
Jethro rolled his eyes. He knew that look. Meddlesome grandmother was written all over it. He wondered if it was a genetic feature all Shepard females had. The four he knew shared the same expression when interfering. Of course, it would have been passed down from Helen.
"She'll be making amends in seven or eight hours."
Lizzie sighed. "You don't know how it'll go, Grandma."
"I have faith."
Lizzie looked at her father. "Is mom awake?"
"Asleep. You might be able to wake her."
"Might?" Lizzie asked in confusion.
Helen looked at her granddaughter. "Morphine."
"Oh." She nodded and slipped into the room, realizing her mother had put on a front earlier.
Jethro turned to his mother-in-law. "What are you doing?"
"I'm helping, Jethro."
"You could be making it worse."
"Jethro, we have not fought in over a week. Let's not ruin it."
He raised an eyebrow, staring at her. Was Helen Shepard really standing in front of him? She refused to argue with him. Was his hearing failing him? Helen rarely stepped down from a fight.
She smirked. "You have to admit. It's been nice being the way we used to be before…"
Jethro shook his head. "Don't say his name. All your money couldn't save him, Helen."
"Jasper," she finished. "Back then, I was only trying to help, Jethro."
He sighed, nodding his head. She was right to a degree. With age and time, he could see it now though the matter was still a sore spot. The hospital stays, surgeries, treatments, travel, and other expenses took a toll on the Gibbs' finances. Helen swooped in with her checkbook which incensed Jethro. He was the provider of the family. The bills were his responsibility. Money had driven a wedge between the son-in-law and mother-in-law. Her refusal to accept repayment had merely deteriorated their relationship more over the years.
"I'm still trying to help."
He nodded again and leaned against the wall. Helen had expected him to be silent. She straightened her pearl necklace and smiled at Katie as she came towards them.
"Katharine," she said.
"Why am I taking Lizzie to LAX? She should be staying here."
Before Helen could answer, Jethro spoke to his oldest. "You'll take her with no complaints."
"Daddy," she started.
He gave her a firm Gibbs glare. She rolled her eyes at him. His glare became more unyielding. "Your sister needs to go back to D.C. for a few days to handle issues. She'd do it for you without a complaint. Not a word more, Katharine."
"Yes, sir," she answered. He rarely called her Katharine. If he did, he meant business.
Elizabeth came out of the hospital room and hugged her father. "I'll be back soon. I promise."
He hugged her tightly to him and whispered in her ear. "Take all the time you need."
She kissed his cheek and hugged her grandmother. "Thank you."
Helen shook her head. "Keep the credit card. Use it for whatever you need. Go get him, sweetheart."
Katie sighed and realized why her sister was going back home. She felt like a bitch with a side of moron. "C'mon, sis, you don't want to miss your flight."
The two left the hospital for the Los Angeles International Airport. While stuck in traffic, Katie turned the volume down on the radio and looked over at her sister. "What's the plan?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"No, Katie."
"Are you giving the ring back?"
"I don't know!"
Her sister hit the steering wheel in frustration. How could she not know what she was going to do? "Elizabeth, he almost let OUR mother die! ALONE." She hadn't forgiven Tony like everyone else had.
"You don't think I know that?"
"Do you? You've been in your own little fucking world. Everyone's been tiptoeing around you. I'm sick of it!"
"No one's been tiptoeing, Katharine!"
"They have, even mom. She shouldn't have to! No one should! You should have seen her before she was awake. No, you ran. You need to learn how to stick to your guns."
Elizabeth stared at her sister. She said nothing more, turning her head and staring out the window. Katie rolled her eyes and turned up the radio. Finally, they arrived at LAX. Lizzie wanted Katie to drop her off and leave, but she didn't. Katie stayed with her sister until she had gone as far as she could go. She touched her shoulder to get her attention. Lizzie looked at her. "I think you've said enough to me."
Katie sighed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry I've been a bitch, Lizzie. Do what you have to do. I love you."
"Don't apologize. I needed to accept the facts. I love you too," she said with a smile, walking away.
Soon, Elizabeth was in her first class seat and waiting for take off. On the seven-hour nonstop flight, she went through a dozen scenarios and speeches of what she would say to Anthony DiNozzo. She ran over the words of her grandmother, mother, and sister. Still, she wasn't sure. This rollercoaster of emotions needed to come to a stop.
As soon as Jenny was fully awake, she learned of what she'd missed from Katie. She asked her daughter for privacy. When Katie left, she grabbed Jethro' cell phone and dialed a number. She listened to it ring, praying the person would pick up.
"Boss?"
"Tony," she said.
"Ma'am. Jenny," Tony answered. Why was she calling him? When did she wake up? He shook his head. He should know the answers to those questions swirling in his mind.
"I apologize for what I did, Tony. It wasn't fair to you. It was not your fault. Do you understand?"
He swallowed hard. Hearing Jenny tell him it wasn't his fault was a horse of a different color compared to Gibbs telling him.
"I understand."
"I also want you to understand that my daughter needs you more than you need her. The greatest loves are tested. If it's worth it, you work through it. That's as far as I'm going to put my nose into your personal life. And DiNozzo, I expect a list of movies I should watch while I'm cooped up in this hospital." She ended the call.
Tony closed his phone and stared at it, mulling over Jenny's words. He sat down on his couch, putting his head in his hands. How much damage had he actually done? He Gibbs slapped himself and stood up. It was time to be a man and face what he'd done. Damage needed to be repaired. Tony was about to call the airport and book a flight to Los Angeles when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it.
"Liz."
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah. Sure."
She stepped into his apartment. Her eyes scanned over the room. There were empty liquor bottles scattered around. She took a deep breath.
"We need to talk."
"I know."
She turned to face him. "Have you been drinking?"
"No," he lied.
"You have! Were you drinking when you almost let my mother die, Tony?"
"No, Liz. NO. Ask Ziva. I wasn't. Neither one of us had been."
Her anger was slowly rising to the forefront. "I'll be sure to ask Ziva. She's called and asked about mom, so has McGee, Abby, and Ducky. You haven't called once! You've been sitting here by yourself DRUNK!" She ran her hands through her hair in frustration as she saw all the bottles and empty pizza boxes.
He said nothing. He stared down at the floor and listened to her. If she needed to yell, he deserved it. If she needed to punch him, he'd let her. He deserved whatever she dished out. Lizzie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"Tony, I…I don't know what…to do. I don't want," she stopped herself, shaking her head. Why lie? After seeing how he'd been coping, she wasn't sure if she didn't want to lose him. He turned to a bottle instead of her.
Lizzie walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek softly. "I love you. I've loved you more than anyone." She stared at him with misty blue green eyes. Her left hand trembled over her right hand as she began to remove her engagement ring.
Tony looked down and put his hand over hers, shaking his head. "I won't let you."
"You've let me," Elizabeth whispered. She found the strength to remove the ring and put it into his hand, closing it tightly.
Anthony swallowed hard and watched her leave his apartment. She was walking out of his life. He opened his hand and stared at the ring. He'd thrown it all away. It was over.