A/N: Happy Saturday, my loves! I hope you're all doing well. Here we have the next installment of The Other Side of the Wall! I hope you enjoy!
Gibbs
"Gibbs! On your right!"
The warning, which came from Lucas Harrington as he ran behind him, came too late and Gibbs was forced to grit his teeth as the bullet ripped through his thigh, causing him to fall to his knees. He ignored the pain as he ordered Kate and Harrington to keep up their pursuit and as he shook his head in an attempt to focus, he blinked hard. This was decidedly not how he had envisioned his day starting...
It took no less than forty-five minutes for him to be released from the hospital, largely in part to the testimony of Doctor Donald Mallard, swearing that the agent would be taken care of even without being admitted. As they made their way back to the Navy Yard, the doctor looked at him with something akin to amusement, shaking his head as he drove.
"I certainly don't envy you the task of telling our lovely Director that your suspect escaped."
Gibbs shook his head, laughing quietly.
"I'm going to leave that to Harrington. He hasn't really had a chance to interact much with her yet."
Ducky laughed, giving the younger man a somewhat stern look.
"Jethro, she's going to make that boy wish he'd never been born."
A small smile was his only response.
Unbeknownst to Lucas Harrington, Gibbs waited outside Jenny's office, sharing a secret smile with Cynthia, more than a little curious as to how he would fare when dealing with their redheaded boss. He could hear the slight exasperation in her voice as she spoke and he fought the urge to laugh out loud.
"Your suspect managed to outrun both you and the rest of your team, including Agent Gibbs and is now presumably hiding out in an unknown location. Do I have that right?"
"Not exactly, ma'am. Agent Gibbs wasn't with us during the pursuit. It was just Agent Todd and myself. He'd taken a round and—"
"Taken a round?" Jenny repeated, worry and concern making her voice slightly louder, "Why wasn't I informed of this sooner? What's his status?"
"He was down at his desk a few minutes ago, ma'am. He seemed to be recovering well enough."
Gibbs could practically see Jenny trying to gather her thoughts and remain calm and when she spoke again, her tone gave nothing away.
"Very well, Agent Harrington. And one last thing: if you value your life, don't call me "ma'am" again. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal, Director Shepard."
Gibbs knew, as surely as he knew his own name, that Jenny was planning on summoning him to her office and as he turned to make his way back to his desk, he heard her voice again.
"Send Agent Gibbs to my office when you see him, Agent Harrington."
Laughing quietly as he all but ran back to the squad room, Gibbs shook his head. She really was predictable at times. He sat down behind the desk, ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg, aggravated by his trip up and down the stairs, and when Harrington returned a few moments later, he glanced at his team leader warily.
"Agent Gibbs, Director Shepard would like to see you."
DiNozzo laughed, looking at the older man in amusement.
"In trouble with the wife now, Gibbs?"
Ignoring DiNozzo, Gibbs just caught the confused look that Kate and Harrington exchanged, pulling himself up carefully from his desk. He had to give them credit, his team waited until they thought he was out of earshot before speaking and even then, it was in a tone closer to a whisper.
"What was that about?"
"Come on, Kate. You can't tell me you didn't know your boss is sleeping with her."
"Gossiping about your boss is extremely unprofessional, Tony."
"They've been together for a pretty long time, Kate. Not gossip if it's true."
Now Gibbs did laugh, shaking his head as he walked back past Cynthia's desk. He didn't bother knocking on the large silver door before entering and when Jenny glanced up from her computer screen, her eyes immediately went to the bandage wrapped around his leg.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice carefully light.
He shrugged.
"Left my Superman costume at home," he quipped, studying her face for a reaction,
She rolled her eyes, pushing back from her desk slowly, her expression unreadable, and when she stopped in front of him, she shook her head.
"Your suspect?"
"We'll find him again. Don't worry, Jen. You know I won't let him get away that easily."
Jenny nodded, her eyes sweeping over his face as she moved closer, reaching out to touch the bandage gently.
"How bad was it?"
"I've had worse. Still hurt like hell, though," he admitted.
She gave him a look that he couldn't quite place before kissing him softly, running her hand slowly through his slightly graying hair.
"If you die out there in the field, I'm going to kill you."
He laughed, kissing her once more before stepping back, his voice warm when he answered.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're terrifying?"
"Don't you dare forget it," she warned him, smiling as he closed the door behind him.
He had no sooner returned to his desk than his team began speaking and he sighed.
"What did she say?" Kate asked.
"Just reminded me that our first priority is to find this guy and bring him in."
"Are you really dating Director Shepard, Gibbs?"
Of course it would be Harrington. Gibbs nodded, reaching for his cup of coffee, thankful for the jolt of caffeine it provided.
"Yep. We've got a daughter, too. Just started college a few months ago. Now, if you're done prying into my personal life, we have a suspect to find."
As annoyed as he pretended to be, Gibbs couldn't deny that he was greatly enjoying the look of shock on his team's faces. It was made even more amusing when they looked to DiNozzo and McGee for confirmation and it took all of his self control to keep his face neutral when they both nodded in answer. There was no way in hell that this would ever get old...
Not to his surprise, Gibbs arrived home before Jenny and as he took off his jacket, he frowned at the sound of movement in the kitchen. He made his way closer, fully preparing to call out to Carly, but all thought of speaking halted immediately when he realised what she was doing. She had prepared a simple microwave dinner for herself, but rather than eating it, she scraped the food into the trash bin, leaving the container sitting on the table.
She sat down in front of the empty container, taking a long drink from her water, and he frowned as he rounded the corner, deliberately making his steps louder.
"Hey, kid. How's it going?"
She shrugged, picking up the book sitting on the table next to her glass of water.
"Not much. Just reading. How was—"
Her eyes had finally noticed the bandage on his leg and they widened as she realised what must have happened.
"Are you okay? Do you need to sit down or—"
He laughed, waving her words away with the back of his hand.
"I'm fine. Nothing a few aspirin can't fix."
She didn't look as though she believed him, but Gibbs didn't let that concern him much. He turned his attention to the empty food container, looking at it curiously.
"Your mom should be home in about twenty minutes. What do you want for dinner?"
Carly didn't so much as flinch, the lie coming from her lips with ease.
"I just ate," she replied, indicating the plastic, "You guys can have whatever you want."
His anger at being outright lied to took a temporary backseat to his worry over her health, but he said nothing, making her believe that he had accepted her lie as truth.
"Suit yourself," he said, careful to keep any hint of suspicion from his voice.
For the first time, he truly looked at what she was wearing, the over-sized sweatshirt that hung down to her thighs, the loose sweatpants that hid her rapidly shrinking frame, and he knew that as soon as Jenny came home, they were going to have a serious talk. He just hoped he didn't make matters worse...
Much to his relief, Jenny arrived home quicker than he had expected, and when she found him sitting on the couch waiting for her, she gave him a confused look.
"Did someone die?"
He shook his head, his expression serious.
"No, but we do need to talk."
He could see her mind already jumping to the worst possible conclusion and he immediately reached for her hand in reassurance.
"I don't want to make you worry, but you deserve to know."
She waited, her expression changing from confusion to concern as he recounted what he'd seen after coming home and when he had finished speaking, Jenny shook her head.
"She's been doing well, Jethro. You must be wrong."
He looked at her, his bright blue eyes locking on her green, his voice low.
"You don't really believe that, do you?"
She was silent for a long moment and when she finally answered, the pain in her voice was almost palpable.
"No." she whispered, "I don't. But Jethro...what do we do?"
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissing her temple lightly.
"We talk to her. Get her to admit that there's a problem. But, before we do that, I have to know...when was the last time you purged?"
"Three weeks ago," Jenny said without hesitation, "I actually had help with that. Jack's boyfriend runs a local AA meeting and he gave me some techniques that really helped me focus on other things."
Gibbs smiled, feeling prouder of her than he could ever remember.
"Good. I just don't want this to hinder your own recovery."
Jenny gave him a thin smile, laying her head on his shoulder.
"It won't. I can do this."
They were spared the task of seeking out Carly because she chose that moment to come down the stairs, her eyes landing on them worriedly when she touched down on the living room floor.
"Is something wrong?"
"You tell us, Little One," Jenny said softly.
Carly frowned, looking between them in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw you throwing your dinner into the trash," Gibbs told her, "You pulled it out of the microwave, let the scent fill the room for a few seconds, and then you threw it away."
He met her eyes, daring her to deny it, and when she said nothing, he continued.
"To make matters more serious, you lied to me about it. I deliberately asked you if you were hungry to see what your answer would be. You told me that you had already eaten. I'm not senile, kid. Not yet, anyway."
Carly shook her head, her voice pleading.
"It was a slip up. I just...I—"
"How long have you been having these slip ups?" Jenny asked.
Again, Carly's head shook and beside him, Gibbs felt Jenny's body tense.
"How many times a day?" he asked.
Her silence told them all they needed to know and Jenny took a shaking breath, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Take off your sweatshirt."
Carly shook her head.
"I'm only wearing a camisole under it."
Glancing at Jenny from the corner of his eye, Gibbs could detect that she wasn't going to accept any excuses and when she spoke again, her voice was more harsh than he thought she realised.
"Take it off."
"Why? I have a right to wear whatever I want."
"I'm not saying you don't," Gibbs could hear the barely-restrained anger in Jenny's voice (or was it panic?), "but this isn't a joke, Carly. I'm not going to ask you again."
The younger girl must have realised just how serious Jenny was because she finally sighed, reaching for the hem of her thick sweatshirt. She pulled it over her head, trying to keep her camisole firmly in place, but when Jenny reached for his hand, gripping it tight, Gibbs knew she'd seen what he had. Carly's skin was stretched tight over her thin frame, her ribs clearly visible, the bones protruding from her wrists almost enough to make him physically sick, and he felt Jenny begin shaking next to him.
"Carly..." she whispered, "Don't you see how dangerous this is?"
Carly said nothing and it wasn't until she realised that Jenny was crying that she showed any reaction at all, taking a step closer and kneeling in front of them on the floor.
"Mom, don't cry...please, don't cry. I'm okay. See? Nothing is going to happen to me."
Jenny shook her head, still clinging to Gibbs' hand, and he reached out with his free one to take Carly's arm. He made a circle with his thumb and forefinger around her wrist and slowly began moving it upward. It made it all the way to her elbow before touching her skin and he shook his head sadly.
"How much more proof do you need, honey?" he asked gently, capturing her attention with the term of endearment.
She shook her head and when Jenny finally spoke again, Gibbs couldn't remember a time when she'd ever sounded so scared and heartbroken all at the same time.
"Carly, please," her voice was only a whisper, but it still shook, "don't make me watch you die. I can't lose you. Please."
When it became clear that Carly wasn't going to answer her, Jenny stood quickly, shaking so violently that she collided with the coffee table, and she all but ran from the room, her footsteps loud on the stairs. Gibbs watched her go, his heart feeling heavier than it had in weeks and when he turned his attention back to Carly, he noticed that she had tears of her own in her eyes.
"If you won't do it for yourself, do it for her," he told her gently, "It won't be enough to completely fix the problem, but it will give you time. And maybe by then, you'll want to do it for yourself."
He stood up, pulling Carly into a hug, kissing her hair as hard as he dared.
"I love you," he whispered, "and so does your mom. Don't ever forget that."
Shepard
As soon as the bedroom door had closed behind her, Jenny found herself pacing back and forth across the floor, her hand tangled in her long red hair. She found that the pacing did little to alleviate the shaking that had overtaken her entire body, but she knew that if she didn't do something, she was going to completely lose her mind. She couldn't remember ever feeling quite this helpless and terrified, with the one exception being the time spent taking care of her mother, and as she made her way into the adjoining bathroom, her tears fell faster.
What was she going to do if Carly refused to get help? Worse still, what would she do if Carly died? She loved the girl just as if she'd given birth to her and she couldn't imagine her life without her in it. Would forcing her into treatment do anything worthwhile or would it simply make Carly hate her until her dying day? She kept pacing the floor, furiously wiping her hand under her eyes as her tears fell, and when she couldn't stand it any longer, she tangled her fists in her hair again, not caring in the slightest when she pulled several strands loose.
She made her way back into the bathroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror, and it only served to somehow make her feel even more desperate. She returned to the bedroom, picking up the empty bottle of bourbon from the bedside table and threw it as hard as she could onto the ground, screaming as it shattered. Her hands found the glass tumbler next, sending it hurtling to the ground with another scream, and when she fell to her knees, she didn't even feel the pain.
Slamming her hands into the floor over and over again, oblivious to the shards of glass embedding into her skin, blood dripping onto the wood, Jenny sobbed harder than she had since the weeks following her mother's death. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand close over her wrist, preventing her from hitting the floor again, and as she raised tear-filled green eyes to his bright blue, she found that she was still shaking.
Gibbs knelt down next to her carefully, not wanting to land on glass or cause the wound on his leg to worsen, and ran his hand slowly through her damp red hair. Saying nothing, he pulled her into his arms, not even caring about the blood staining his white hoodie. Jenny held onto him like a lifeline, her breath coming in short sobbing gasps, and as he ran his hand over her hair, she tried to speak.
"I can't..." she took a breath, trying to steady herself, "I can't lose her. I love her so much. If I could make it stop, I—"
"Shh...I know."
"She was getting better," Jenny said, her voice breaking, "She was happier, healthier...where did we go wrong?"
Gibbs shook his head, kissing her temple.
"We didn't," he assured her gently, "You know yourself that this has to be Carly's choice. We didn't do anything wrong, and neither did she. It's an addiction."
Jenny tightened her hold on his hoodie, still unaware of the pain in her hands, and buried her head in his chest.
"I can't lose her," she repeated, "I just—oh, God, Jethro..."
Her voice broke on his name and he tightened his hold on her, kissing her hair gently, his own tears falling into the red strands.
"I know, Jen..." he whispered, "I know."
Gibbs
When he had finally gotten Jenny calmed down enough to attempt sleep, Gibbs made his way down to the kitchen in search of his broom and dustpan. He frowned when he came across Carly sitting at the kitchen table, holding a cup of coffee in her thin hands, and tilted his head in curiosity.
"Plotting a murder?"
She shook her head.
"Just thinking."
He nodded, grabbing the broom and dustpan from the corner of the room and when he turned back around, the sound of Carly's voice stopped him.
"What happened to your hoodie?"
He glanced down, not surprised to see the blood staining it and gave her a sad look.
"Your mom is pretty upset. Broke some glass and her hands were cut in the process. You really expect me to believe you didn't hear anything?"
Carly shook her head, her voice soft in the dark room.
"I heard everything," she admitted, "I just wanted to see if you would lie about it or not."
Gibbs shook his head, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from her.
"I won't ever lie to you, kid. Not unless our lives are in danger or something where it's absolutely necessary. Which is why I'm more than a little disappointed that you lied to me. To both of us."
"I didn't want anyone to worry."
He laughed, though it sounded somewhat bitter even to his own ears.
"It's a little late for that. Your mom and I are always going to worry about you, no matter what. But if you would give recovery and treatment another shot, we would worry a lot less. Especially your mom. She's quite possibly the strongest person I know, but losing you would kill her."
He reached across the table, patting her hand gently, smiling at her as he stood up.
"Just think about it, okay?"
Shepard
The throbbing pain in her hands woke her early the next morning, but Jenny was surprised to find that they had been wrapped in bandages, something she could only assume Gibbs had been responsible for. The room had also been cleaned and as she pulled herself up from the bed, she was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness that she couldn't quite explain. She knew it was likely a result of the stress of the previous day and as she made her way down the stairs, she was greeted by the scent of coffee.
She gave Gibbs a small smile as she poured her coffee, stopping on her way back to the table to kiss his cheek lightly. She sat across from him, taking a long drink from the scalding liquid, and when she spoke, her voice was steady.
"Thank you," she said warmly.
He smiled at her, taking a drink from his own cup, and as he glanced at her hands, he raised his eyebrow.
"Any pain?"
"A little," she admitted, "What about your leg? Is it bad?"
Gibbs laughed.
"I told you, Jen...I've had worse. It's actually better than yesterday. I took a few aspirin and I'm fine."
"You'd better not be lying to me, Leroy Jethro," she warned jokingly.
Their conversation was carefully light, each one avoiding the discussion that they knew needed to be had, and when Carly walked into the room moments later, Jenny instantly felt the mood shift. No one said a word as the younger girl poured herself a cup of coffee, but Jenny caught her trying to sneak several glances at her bandaged hands as she walked past. Jenny exchanged a look with Gibbs as she drained the last of her coffee and as she stood, she kept her voice as nonchalant as she could.
"I'll meet you in the truck. I have to go upstairs and grab my phone."
He nodded and as she made her way into the living room, Jenny took a deep breath. This was going to be a brutal day...
As it turned out, her instincts were correct and as she struggled to focus on anything remotely work-related, she found that it was pointless. She simply couldn't stop her mind from wandering to Carly and when she finally picked up her phone to call her, she shook her head when she noticed her hands were shaking. Though she waited with shaking hands, there was no answer and as she dialed Gibbs' desk number, she leaned back slightly in her chair.
His phone merely rang and when she tried his cell to no avail, she fought the urge to scream. Gibbs she could understand as he was likely working a lead, but she couldn't figure out why Carly hadn't answered her. Sighing, she called another number, hoping at least one of her feelings was correct.
"DiNozzo."
"Tony, did Gibbs get a lead this morning?"
"Yeah, he's out with Kate and Harrington right now looking into it. Why? Something wrong?"
She frowned, biting down on her lip as she tried to decide how much to tell him.
"No, everything's fine."
"Come on, Red. Don't lie to me. I can tell something's bothering you. What is it?"
"Not over the phone. Come up to my office."
"You got it, Shep."
It took less than a minute for DiNozzo to make his way into her office and as he closed the door behind him, he immediately noticed that she seemed paler than usual, the dark circles under her eyes much more pronounced than he'd seen in a long time. She gestured for him to sit in the chair opposite her desk and it was then that he noticed the bandages wrapped around her hands, making her fight the urge to smile. He really was a good investigator when he put his mind to it.
"What happened to your hands, Shep?"
Jenny sighed, unsure of how to begin. After all, he knew nothing of Carly's illness and it wasn't exactly something that you simply sprung on someone. Still...he had asked.
"I...Carly is sick. Really sick. I was upset about it..."
She trailed off, still hesitant to bring him into this, but he nodded, looking at her seriously.
"Is she going to die?"
"If she doesn't get better, yes," Jenny answered, so quietly that he barely heard her, "Do you remember how sick I was at the beginning of the year and right after my mother died?"
DiNozzo nodded.
"Well, Carly's problem is similar, but right now her health is in greater danger than mine has been in years."
"Does she...is she...what's her official diagnosis?"
"Anorexia nervosa," she whispered, "She went to inpatient treatment awhile back and she was doing really well, but...she was sexually assaulted a few months ago and I think it might have been the final straw that caused her to relapse."
"Is she going to try getting help again?"
Jenny shook her head.
"I don't know. I tried, we tried, actually, to talk to her about it and things got out of control. I ended up breaking some glass and cut my hands, hence the bandages. All I keep thinking is that I'm going to lose her, that this is my fault for being sick and putting her in the same vicinity before I was really recovered, and—"
"Woah. Hang on, Red. Back up a minute. This isn't your fault. None of this is. You needed to work on your own health and you've done that. You look more like the badass fearless leader that I met five years ago and I'm proud of you. I'm not the only one, either. Gibbs practically worships the ground you walk on even though he does a good job of keeping it close to the vest and I know Carly loves you."
Jenny shook her head, annoyed by the tears she could feel burning in her eyes.
"I don't want to lose her, Tony. But I don't know how to help her anymore. I can take down international arms dealers and deal with the men on the Hill any damn day of the week, but I can't even help my own daughter!"
Tony wasted no time in standing and walking the short distance around her desk, holding out his arms as he stopped in front of her. Jenny laughed, shaking her head slowly, but when she realised he was serious, she stood and allowed him to hug her. He kissed her cheek, giving her a reassuring smile as he hugged her again, his voice warm in her ear.
"You can do this, Jenny. I know you and you're not going to give up that easy."
As he walked out of her office a minute later, Jenny wished that she believed in herself as much as DiNozzo seemed to.
As luck would have it, Jenny's day merely progressed from bad to worse as she sat behind her desk, fighting a head-splitting migraine as she attempted to answer her endless emails, and as her phone rang, she jumped. It took her several seconds to realise that the ringing was from her cell phone rather than her desk phone, and she frowned at the unknown number on the screen.
"Shepard."
"Jenny? Thank God. I didn't think you would answer because of my number."
The voice on the other end was breathless, frantic.
"Who is this?"
Damn, her head was killing her...
"This is Evan. I—"
"Is Carly alright?"
"She's in the hospital. We went out for coffee and she passed out. When she came around, she couldn't see. I drove her straight to the hospital and they just admitted her."
Every part of her body was suddenly freezing cold, as though she had been doused in ice water and after getting a bit more information from Evan, Jenny grabbed her purse, running for the door as fast as she could. She stopped in front of Cynthia's desk, the younger woman instantly on high alert, and Jenny tried to control her breathing.
"Cancel everything on my schedule today. Carly's in the hospital."
"Yes, Director Shepard. Be safe."
She all but ran down the stairs, her hair falling from her ponytail, and when she reached the squad room, she felt her heart stop when she realised Gibbs wasn't at his desk. Kate Todd and Lucas Harrington gave her curious looks as she looked at them, her voice tight.
"Where is Gibbs?"
Harrington shook his head and just when Jenny was about to scream in frustration, she spotted DiNozzo and McGee rounding the corner.
"DiNozzo."
He didn't appear to have heard her and when she spoke again, there was no mistaking her urgency.
"DiNozzo!"
"Oh, hey, fearless leader. We were just about to get lunch, do you—"
"Damn it, Tony! Where's Gibbs?"
"On his way back here. He was getting coffee."
She was preparing to run through the entire building when she finally saw him, taking a few steps as he placed his coffee on his desk.
"We need to go. Now."
He frowned.
"Middle of the day," he pointed out.
"God damn it, Jethro! Carly's in the hospital. Evan just called me, we have to go!"
Gibbs nodded, looking at DiNozzo.
"Watch everything here."
Jenny ran for the elevator, Gibbs on her heels, leaving the agents they had left behind to look after them in worry.
While Gibbs spoke with the attending physician outside Carly's room, Jenny wasted no time in making her way to her daughter's bedside, taking her hand in her own gently.
"Mom?"
"Right here, Little One."
"How did you know where—"
"Evan called me. She must have gotten my number somehow."
"I gave it to her," Carly said, her voice soft, "Mom, I'm so scared. I can't see anything!"
Jenny leaned closer, kissing her forehead as Gibbs entered the room, and when she spoke, she tried to keep her own fear in check. Giving in to that wouldn't help Carly in any way, so she needed to keep herself together.
"I know you're scared. It's okay to be scared. But your dad and I are right here and we're going to be here until you kick us out."
"I'm so sorry, Mom," Carly whispered, her tears spilling down her face rapidly, "I should have listened to you. I thought I wanted this. I thought I would be happier if I was dead."
"Shh..." Jenny whispered, reaching out to run her fingers over Carly's hair, "It's going to be okay, Little One."
"I'm so scared. Mom, I'm so scared. I don't want to die. I'm not ready! Please don't let me die!"
Carly moved closer to her and Jenny wrapped her arms around her, kissing her hair gently.
"You're not going to die, honey," Gibbs said, reaching out to run his thumb under her eyes, "I just talked to the doctor and he said that your eyesight will come back as soon as you get your blood pressure stable. It was too low and that's what caused you to pass out and not be able to see. You might even be able to see a little now if you open your eyes."
Carly slowly opened her eyes, letting them dart around the room and when she threw her arms around Jenny, the older redhead felt an intense relief wash over her.
"Mom, you look really pretty in green," Carly said with a shaky laugh.
Jenny laughed, kissing her cheek, and as she glanced up at Gibbs, she noticed Evan standing in the doorway and waved her over.
"Thank you for calling me, Evan," Jenny said warmly, hugging her.
"You're welcome. Carly, how do you feel?"
Carly blinked, turning her head in Evan's direction.
"Just really dizzy now and everything is blurry."
"Good, because as soon as you're home, I'm kicking your ass. You scared the shit out of me!"
The knock at the door caused all of them to turn and Jenny fought the urge to laugh as she realised that she recognised this doctor as one who had treated her for work injuries in the past.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to give you an update. Carly, we've gotten your blood pressure back in the normal range, but I have to tell you that if you don't get your weight under control and start taking care of yourself, this will keep happening. I cannot stress enough the seriousness of this."
Carly nodded, holding Jenny's hand so tightly that it was painful.
"I will. When can I go home?"
"Well, we're going to keep you here overnight for observation, but as long as everything looks good, we can talk discharge tomorrow."
"Thank you," Gibbs said, holding out his hand.
Jenny kissed Carly's hair, noticing the way she was beginning to tire and gave her a soft smile.
"We'll let you get some rest, Little One, but if you need anything, we're just a phone call away. Okay?"
She nodded, hugging them both hard.
"I love you both so much."
"We love you too, kid."
The drive to their house was silent, but Jenny never once released her hold on Gibbs' hand. They walked through the front door together and it was only when Jenny ventured into the kitchen that she let go of his hand, making him wonder just how bad their night was going to be. When she returned with a new bottle of bourbon, he instinctively reached for it, frowning when she shook her head.
"Get your own bottle, Leroy Jethro," she said as she sat on the floor, her back against the couch.
Neither one of them bothered with glasses, tipping the bottle back so many times during that first hour that they both lost count, and when Jenny noticed that both of their bottles were half empty, she smiled sadly.
"Good to see you can still keep up."
He nodded, once again impressed with her ability to hold her liquor, detecting no trace of a slur, and when she tipped the bottle back again, he shook his head in amazement.
"You still think we've got what it takes to be parents?" she asked.
Gibbs laughed.
"Too late to give her up for adoption," he reminded her.
"How many times is this going to happen before she dies, Jethro?"
Gibbs frowned, moving closer to her and taking another drink from his bottle. He could definitely feel the effects now and he strongly suspected that this was the reason for Jenny's willingness to talk about the difficult situation they found themselves in.
"I think this might have been the one to scare her enough," he said, suddenly overcome by an incredibly strong urge to touch her, "She finally seems to realise how serious this is."
Jenny took a deep breath, draining most of the remaining alcohol in her bottle and when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, she laid her head against his chest.
"It's official. I'm a terrible mother."
"Nah. Kids are tough. And Carly's gonna be fine. We'll get her the help she needs and you'll see. Everything will work out."
Gibbs took another drink from his bottle, resting his chin on the top of Jenny's head, deep in thought and when he spoke next, his voice was soft in the silence.
"Hey, Jen?"
"Hm?"
"Marry me."
Jenny frowned, thinking hard before raising her head to look at him, her once clear green eyes hazy with alcohol.
"Can I have time to think about it?"
Gibbs nodded, taking a drink from his bottle, not even noticing that both he and Jenny had emptied them a few moments earlier.
"You can take the rest of your life if you want."
Jenny laughed.
"I'm not that indecisive."
He nodded, conceding her point, and when she spoke again, she moved so close that she was nearly sitting in his lap.
"Jethro?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you love me?"
He stared at her, though it took his eyes longer to focus as a result of the copious amount of bourbon in his system, and shook his head.
"I just asked you to marry me."
Jenny nodded, trying to make him understand where she was coming from, if she understood it herself, that is. She'd had a lot of alcohol.
"I know, but...you're not just asking out of principle, are you? You do realise that if you married me, it would be permanent, right?"
"That's the entire point, Shepard. I don't want anyone else. Do you?"
Jenny shook her head, still trying to figure out how they'd gotten to this point.
"No. I love you more than my own life. Not that it's a very good measure of anything."
Gibbs frowned, confused.
"What do you mean?"
Jenny sighed, twisting her hands in her lap, and Gibbs reached out to still them, giving her an encouraging nod.
"With everything that's going on with Carly and my...illness...I just...my life isn't anything special. I'm a terrible mother, I can't even keep my daughter from starving to death and I can't keep my own shit from getting out of control—"
"Wait a minute. You're never this self deprecating. Where's the sarcastic, witty, brilliant badass that I know you are?"
Jenny shook her head, refusing to look at him.
"She died when my mother did."
Gibbs tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him.
"Not a chance in hell. That part of you is still there. And I love you, every single part of you, and nothing will ever change that."
He pulled her closer, holding her securely in his lap, and when he kissed her, Jenny threaded her fingers through his hair.
"Do you really mean it?" she asked, her voice slightly breathless.
The answering kiss he gave her was hard enough to bruise and she laughed as he tightened his hold on her.
"Jethro, how partial are you to this carpet?"
"Depends on why you're asking."
Giving him a long, slow kiss, Jenny moved her hands underneath his shirt, pulling it over his head, moving her lips to his throat as she let her fingers trail over his skin.
"I think I can give up the carpet," he answered, taking care to move her safely to the floor, hovering over her as she ran her hands over his chest again.
He kissed her slowly, allowing his tongue to explore every corner of her mouth, and when he pulled back to look into her eyes, he smiled.
"I love you, Jen."
"Prove it," she whispered, pulling him closer.
Jenny wondered fleetingly how they were going to explain the new carpet to Carly when she came home...
A/N: What did you like? What did you dislike? Let me know!
