Tony climbed into the back of the van with the little girl and grabbed a blanket from one of the cabinets. He tucked it around her all the while talking softly, just whispering nonsensical things. The child didn't say anything, and wouldn't respond to any of his questions, but she did loosen her grip on Tony a bit although she did lie against his chest heavily just listening to the even cadence of his voice.
Finally he realized that she had quite contently fallen asleep on him, his shirt clutched tightly in her little fist. He just held her and promised both her and himself that she would be safe from now on, that no one would abuse her again.
---------------
A half hour later Gibbs stuck his head in the back of the van to see Tony cradling the little girl and rocking her gently. He might be a big kid most of the time but Tony really did have a gentle nature that would sneak out on him every once and a while. Their eyes met over the little girl and Gibbs whispered, “Social services is on the way. I'll let you know when they get here.” Tony just nodded, his attention refocusing on the little person he was holding.
Gibbs was the phone with Director Morrow giving him an update when a government issue sedan pulled up and a tired and frazzled looking brunette got out. He finished up with the Director and walked over to her. She was digging in a plastic tote in the trunk, and from her look of exasperation, wasn't finding what she was looking for, Gibbs choose that moment to introduce himself, “Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS.”
She flashed her id on autopilot and said, “Leslie Olsen, Social Services.” and went back to rooting through the bin. She finally just dropped her head and whispered, “Damn it.” under her breath.
“Lose something?” Gibbs quipped with a little smirk. Although obviously tired and frazzled, she was pretty and he was interested in getting her to say more than her name, rank and serial number.
She met his eyes and sighed, “Ever have one of those weeks where absolutely nothing goes right?”
He chuckled, “About once a month. Something I can help with?”
“I'm out of gloves.”
“Gloves I can handle.” He said and handed her a pair from his pocket.
She closed the trunk, “Thanks. This is my third call today. I just haven't had a chance to regroup.”
“You guys that busy?”
“I'm sure you've heard about the union strike?”
“Yeah, week two isn't it?”
“Yep, and I'm a supervisor, who is right now handling all the critical calls while the normal social workers are on strike. It's been more than a little nutty.”
“Sorry. That can't be easy.”
“No, it's not. But anyway, the kids come first. So what do we have here?”
Gibbs explained the situation and she listened and took careful notes. “So the little girl is safe at this particular moment?”
“She's sound asleep with a death grip on one of my agents, if that's what you mean.”
“Yes. I need to do a quick walk through of the apartment to document the conditions. Am I able to do that now?”
“Sure. My M.E. was just bagging up the victims for transport. I'll walk you through the scene myself, Ms. Olsen.”
They went up and Gibbs saw her take a deep breath before they went into the apartment. With a grim look on her face she went room to room, opening cupboards to look for food only to find more filth and drug paraphernalia. She took particular care to document the room that the little girl had been locked in, sketching things and poking through the pile of debris in the closet that the child had hidden in.
Gibbs had left her to do her job. But finally stuck his head in the room to see if she needed anything. He wasn't prepared to see her standing there with a silent tear running down her cheek. He stepped close to her and put a caring hand on her shoulder. Embarrassed, she hastily wiped her face and apologized, “Sorry.”
Gibbs said what he hoped would be the right thing, “She's safe now.”
She studied his face for a long moment, seeing the compassion in his eyes. He was an incredibly handsome man, strong, solid, and she wanted to just fall into his pale blue eyes.
A little breeze blew through the room, and Leslie could almost swear that there was a presence in it. But she didn't say anything about it, instead just answered Gibbs, “Yes, she is.”
They went back into the living room and Leslie spied something. She asked Gibbs “Is it okay if I move this?” At his nod she pulled a pastel pink photo album off a shelf filled with rubble, it was always amazing to her that she would often find baby books in the most vile of situations. She flipped through it, and found what she hoped to find, the child's birth certificate including her newborn hand and foot prints. The certificate listed Elizabeth Warden as the mother and a Daniel Jackson as the father of Jacqueline Warden. Leslie groaned. The girl's father would have a common name.
As she looked further through the album she found a snapshot of the child in happier times digging in a sandbox in the park. The handwritten caption underneath read, “Looks like Jackie is taking after her father, think the world's ready for another archaeologist?”
Leslie sighed; it was a place to start looking. How many Daniel Jacksons could possibly be archaeologists?
Gibbs gave her permission to take the album and she bagged it carefully.
Having accomplished everything she could in the dismal apartment, Leslie and Gibbs made their way out to the van where Tony was still sitting.
The little girl was awake and sipping from a plastic bottle of water, one little fist still holding Tony's shirt tightly. She eyed the two interlopers warily.
Leslie put a little smile on her face and said lightly, “Hi, my name is Leslie. What's your name, sweetheart?”
The little girl didn't answer, and Leslie wasn't surprised. It was a common reaction to trauma in children. “Were you thirsty?” No response again, but she did grip the water bottle tighter as if she were afraid someone would take it from her.
“No one will take that from you. Hey, that's a good looking bunny you've got there.”
Tony piped in, “That's what I told her. I told her I thought he was Bugs Bunny's brother.”
Leslie exaggerated, “I bet you're right. What's his name?”
They tried unsuccessfully to get her talk so Leslie finally made the decision, “Well I'm just gonna call you pipsqueak until you feel like telling me your name. That okay?” She actually got a little nod and it made Leslie want to do handstands.
“Okay pipsqueak, we're going to go for a ride and get you all checked out by a doctor, then I think it will be time for a nice warm bath and some clean clothes. 'Kay?”
The little girl started to shake and she buried her face in Tony's chest. Tony's arms went protectively around her and he rubbed her back gently.
Gibbs finally spoke up, “Tony, why don't you go with them and get her settled. We'll finish up here.” Tony nodded in agreement.
Leslie looked to Gibbs, “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He turned to head back upstairs but spun around and walking backwards asked her, “Hey, by the way, how do you take your coffee?”
Leslie just blinked at him in confusion. “Um, coffee. Just coffee. But why do you need to know that?”
“Just in case a guy wants to buy you a cup of coffee sometime.”
“Like I have time for coffee.” she teased back.
He just chuckled and turned back around and went into the building.
She was shaking her head as she turned back to Tony, “Is he always like that?”
“He has his moments.”
---------------
Tony went with them to the hospital. The little girl still wouldn't talk, but they were able to get her to shake her head or nod in response to questions. She did confirm that her name was Jacqueline, and she would let them know if their poking or prodding hurt. She was malnourished and dehydrated. She had bruises here and there, the most disturbing being the deep fingerprint shaped ones on her upper arms. Everyone was hoping that she hadn't been sexually molested. To complete their exam, the doctor gave her a very light sedative to knock her out for a little while so she wouldn't be further traumatized by the necessary exam.
Tony took the opportunity to go to the men's room and he noticed his hands shaking when he washed them. The little girl was affecting him more than he realized.
He bought two sodas out of the vending machine, needing the caffeine and sugar boost, and headed back towards the exam room and to see Leslie in the corridor. He didn't know how she did her job every day. The horrific things that she must see day in and day out were worse than what he and his teammates saw every day. He handed her one of the sodas and cracked open his. Neither said anything until the doctor came out to give them a status.
Tony found himself holding his breath as they listened to the doctor. He didn't breathe again until she told them that although there was some bruising that could indicate rough fondling, that there didn't appear to be any evidence of any type of penetration. Both he and Leslie let out an audible sigh of relief at the news.
The doctor told them that she wanted to keep Jackie for a few days to get her rehydrated, and start working on the malnutrition issue. She let them know that the nurses were bathing her now and getting her situated in a room on the pediatric ward.
After the doctor walked away Tony asked, because abused children weren't his specialty, “You think she's going to be okay?”
Leslie was looking down at her shoes but turned her head slightly to say, “I think so. She's survived all that, it means she's strong. Now it's up to me to make sure she gets what she needs.”
Tony stayed with Leslie and Jackie until Jackie fell asleep, promising her that he would visit her the next day; he did however end up leaving his denim shirt behind. Jackie snuggled up to it like a security blanket and with her bunny tightly squeezed in one arm and the shirt in the other; she promptly fell into a peaceful sleep.
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tbc...
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.