Ch 4
Jenny took a pair of scissors and gently cut away Shannon’s shirt at the shoulder, preserving the other woman’s bra and modesty. She’d seen gunshot wounds just like this one before. “Small caliber, Ducky, smaller than a 9mm. She’s lost some blood but tissue damage seems minimal all things considered. No bone fragments, no heavy bleeding, just muscle damage.”
It helped her to talk about facts instead of what she’d just seen happen.
“You’re not a doctor too, are you, Director?” Shannon guessed who she was, although even without hearing the name she’d have known this was one of Jethro’s former women. He was predictable, if nothing else. “I thought you were a field agent perhaps? Tony mentioned your name. It’s nice to meet someone else who has helped Jethro out over the years.”
“No, I’m not, Shannon. Please call me Jenny, Shannon. I was an agent, and with our Ducky around, we’ve all learned to adapt. His assistant is off currently, so I’m his temporary assistant.”
Jenny didn’t help Jethro as much as he’d helped her. “Your husband trained me when I first joined the agency. Tony mentioned my name? In what context?” It was all she’d allow at the moment.
“I believe that he said you had traveled through Europe with Jethro.” Shannon watched the other red head’s reaction to her words. “He must have taught you well, if you’ve risen through the ranks as quickly as you obviously did. I commend you. I can’t imagine its easy being a female in this world of politics. And keeping all these men in check, I don’t begrudge you your job.”
“He and Ducky did well. The three of us were a team.” Jennifer wasn’t about to admit she and Jethro had a romantic history. Jenny looked down at the other woman. “I admire you for putting up with a younger Jethro. I have to assume he mellowed with age. You must be up for sainthood.”
“He was a pussycat when he was younger. Although I don’t suppose our marriage suffered from the time he was away. I had a friend who dated a professional athlete, and she said when he was in season, he was wonderful. Rarely around, and it always seemed like they were having welcome-home sex. It was when the season was done and he was home all the time that they had problems.”
Shannon remembered that it had been like that to a point with the two of them. He was wonderful for a while but once he started getting bored, things got tense and they argued. “Maybe it was a good thing that he shipped out on a semi-regular basis. We missed him while he was gone, and it was great when he got home, if you know what I mean. But he never stuck around long enough to get to the point where we were arguing.”
Jen nodded, realizing that what Shannon said made a great deal of sense. “Ducky has known him the longest and until Jethro was injured a couple of years ago, he’d never mentioned you or Kelly to us. Losing you changed him a great deal, Shannon. Maybe with you back, your old Jethro will return as well.”
“That happening changed us all.” Looking at the door Jethro had run out to chase after Tony, she wasn’t sure she’d ever see her Jethro again. Maybe he would have turned into this man even if she had been there. “You never know, but I’m not counting on it. I just am glad to see him, and to give Kelly the father she missed so much. It’s been a rough period for us both.”
“That is an understatement,” Jen said softly. “I know that you don’t know me, Shannon, but if you’d like someone to talk to…or if Kelly would. I spent much of my life without my father, and I know something about how that feels.”
“Thank you, I appreciate the offer. Maybe not knowing you will make it easier to share. You obviously know more about me than I do you. Kelly and I have depended on one another for far too long, that learning to share with others is going to take some time.”
Jen regarded the woman with a small nod, wondering if they could become friends. They had a certain gray-haired man in common. “I know very little. Just that you and Jethro married, had Kelly, and the incident that he thought took your life. Ducky here is his best friend and Jethro and I had…” A history, but she wouldn’t say that.
“A lot of time working together. And he never once mentioned either of you to us. We only found out when he was injured. He’s incredibly locked in and locked down. Ducky said he was very much happy-go-lucky when they first met, but I never saw that. He’s very guarded with his emotions and nobody gets his heart.”
But Tony, and that was another kettle of fish.
Shannon sighed. “He was always like that, even with me. The only person he ever really opened up with is Kelly. She was a complete Daddy’s girl, had him wrapped around her pinky finger several times. You’ll see, give them a day or two, let Kelly get completely comfortable and it’ll be just like she was seven again.”
Jen squeezed Shannon’s hand. “I look forward to it. None of us have ever seen that side of Jethro. Ducky has known him for twelve or so years and I’ve known him a decade now.”
“He was always so good with her. Not always the best husband, we had our problems. But as a father, I couldn’t have asked for a better man. He was completely devoted to Kelly and making sure she had everything she could even think she wanted. I have a picture, back at the safehouse, of the two of them having a tea party. Jethro was wearing a pink feather boa and some floppy hat that Kelly thought looked like something that should be worn at high tea. It’s one of the few pictures that made it through all the moves. If someone could make sure that makes it back to me, I’d appreciate it. We don’t have a lot of memories like that left, and I want to keep the ones I still have.”
“Give me the address. I’ll get a team over there to investigate and collect your belongings. And Shannon, I want to see that picture. I couldn’t even picture him like that, and we…once upon a time…we were….close.” She hadn’t intended to “go there” but it had slipped out, maybe she subconsciously wanted Shannon to know in case they could establish a friendship.
Shannon gave Jen the address and she sent a team over to clean up the place and a few agents to pack the Gibbs women’s belongings.
~*~
Ducky continued to work after Jen drifted away, packing and irrigating the wound before bandaging it snugly. “Shannon, how is your pain level? Would you like to lie down or sit up? I have a cardigan here if you’re cool or if not, I have some scrubs or Jenny brought down one of Jethro’s shirts. How can we make you comfortable, my dear?”
“Considering I’ve been shot, I don’t feel that bad. I think I might still be in shock. I’ll be feeling it in the morning, I’m sure.” She had been left in her bra, which she was thankful for, but her shirt was destroyed. “Scrubs would be fine. Jethro’s going to need his shirt, since I bled all over him. I’m fine really. Just trying to process everything that went on today. I can’t believe I’m here. I had every intention of being out of town already, didn’t think anyone would be coming after us.”
Ducky nodded and collected a scrub top. “Here, my dear. Let me help.” Ducky worked the shirt over her torso gently and escorted her to his desk chair. “We haven’t much in the way of posh accommodations here, but we do try. The patients hardly ever complain.” He gathered his cardigan into a thick pad and placed it over her back. “There, you should have some cushioning when you lean back, my dear. What a miracle for Jethro, having you and Kelly back. Are you hungry? Would you like more soda, or perhaps something a bit stronger.”
He hovered over her, not quite knowing where to turn or what to do.
“I don’t know if he’s thinking it’s much of a miracle right now, if the earlier scene is anything to go by. I really screwed this up. I’ve known for years that Jethro was alive, but I did what the Marshals told us to do. I was to have no contact or we’d be removed from the program. When I finally got the nerve up to look him up, he was married again. I couldn’t just show up and say, look at me, we’re both alive and back.”
“Oh, my dear! You couldn’t have known but those women meant nothing to him. Everyone was compared to you and what you both had together.” Ducky crouched down so he was eye to eye with her. “You shouldn’t second guess yourself.” Ducky ran his hand through her hair. “Come, my dear, you could benefit from a hug.”
Ducky opened his arms. Hoping she accepted him, he gave her an encouraging nod. “Jethro is my oldest and best friend, my dear. You have nothing to fear from me.”
“You don’t scare me, Ducky, you are very comforting.” Shannon relaxed in his arms, allowing herself to not be on edge. She hadn’t been able to do that since before Jethro left. “You are very kind, to be taking care of your friend’s wife. I should have packed quicker, and then none of this would be happening. Kelly and I would be safe and I wouldn’t have a bullet hole in my shoulder. We could have disappeared again.”
“Shannon, it is indeed an honor to be able to do this.” Ducky rubbed her back in small circles. “You shouldn’t blame yourself, my dear. You didn’t choose to be in the line of danger in such a way. You’ve been reunited with your husband and your daughter with her father. Don’t regret that, my dear. You have given Jethro a beautiful gift.”
“I bet he’s looking for the gift receipt, at least on me. I know how much he loves Kelly, and I know he’s glad to see her. Me, I’m pretty sure he could have lived without.”
“Oh darling, no, never. Jethro has spent the last years trying to recapture what he had with you. First the string of completely unsuitable redheads, and then he broke the mold completely by taking a completely different lover. Shannon, he could never forget you or allow himself to love another woman the way he loves you. And mark my words, he loves you every bit as much as he always has.”
Ducky kissed her temple, trying so hard to help this woman. “You’ve had a dreadful day, my darling. Absolutely dreadful. But remember one thing. Your husband does not love easily, but he does love completely. And he loves you.”
“And Tony. He wouldn’t admit it to me, not if I asked. But I can see it. And my showing up didn’t help matters.” Shannon knew Jet loved her, just from his initial reaction. But he had someone else who was just as important to him, maybe more.
“He and I will need to talk. I’m dead, I can’t hold him and I may or may not have anything to offer him. I guess a lot of what happens depends on how quickly someone figures out what the heck is going on to have caused this.”
“And Tony as well. They mean a great deal to each other. But so do you, my dear dear woman.” Ducky continued to stroke her hair. “Darling, I know this sounds impossible at present, but do try to just get to know Jethro, and Tony as well. Your husband may surprise you. He already seems like a very changed man.”
“He’s not really the brash young Marine I fell in love and started a family with. His eyes are the same, but the rest of him I don’t know. He came in and saved me, that is something he’s done before. But I really shouldn’t let him get close again. We’re just going to have to leave again.”
“Shannon, you will not be leaving. Jethro will not let either of you walk out of his life. I hope you understand and appreciate that.”
“We always have to leave. A year here, five months there…we just can’t stay in one place too long, or else we might be found. The longest we’ve been in one spot since the accident is probably fifteen months, and that was stretching it. I don’t know what your group thinks they can do that the Marshals couldn’t, but it isn’t meant to be.”
“We’re much better than the MarshalsI, Shannon. And we’re emotionally invested here, not just Jethro but all of us who love him.”
"Makes us more of a liability. Whoever it was that tried to kill us is still out there, and now he has more targets to shoot at. We are always found, doesn't seem that the FBI can keep us hidden for more than a few months. Now, he'll go after all of you and Jethro. I can't let that happen, Kelly and I need to move."
“That isn’t happening, Shannon. You’re with the best. We will keep you safe and completely off the radar. But you going maverick will only get you and Kelly killed and none of us will allow that.”
“I’m not trying to get the two of us killed. If I were, I would have come back here years ago.” Ducky seemed like an intelligent and logical man. Why was he having such a hard time with the inevitable? “I’m trying to make sure that Jethro doesn’t lose the people who have come to mean so much to him in the years we’ve been gone. Kelly and I are blips in his memory, you and the rest of his team, Tony… you’re the ones that mean the world to him.”
“I know that, my dear. Oh, darling, I know.” Ducky took her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks. “You haven’t any idea what you mean to that man, Shannon. He has defined his life by the circumstances of your death and pledged himself to never let another family go through what he went through. I realize that this could be your coping mechanism, but you must allow yourself to believe just what you mean to him, Shannon, even now. He’s had all these years to idealize your relationship. He’s had all these years to cherish the good and let the bad fade. Try to understand him, what he must be thinking and feeling. His sense of duty and family must be overwhelming him, much as it is yourself. In the end, you both have a common goal in that ravishing daughter of yours. And you’re really not so different.”
“We were always totally different. I think that was part of why we were so in love in the beginning. I’d never met someone so charming, so polite. He was such a southern boy back then. Yes ma’am, no ma’am, thank you sir, the whole nine yards. I grew up in this area, and had never met anyone like him. Never would have guessed underneath all that southern charm was a backbone of steel. I think he let me win arguments in the early stages, so I would think I was always going to get my way.” How wrong she’d been, but she had always loved the challenge. “We were married a couple of months when I got pregnant, and that really changed the both of us. It mellowed him some, but for me I was a wakeup call. I had to be responsible for not only me and Jethro but a little human who couldn’t take care of itself. Jethro eased into fatherhood; I didn’t have that option.”
“Jethro was in and out on assignments too, which must not have helped.” Ducky wasn’t sure how to reach Shannon but he would keep on trying. It was clear that she needed a very strong ally right now.
“What I see is a beautiful strong woman who is trying to protect her daughter even if that means immense self sacrifice. Am I wrong? Am I mistaken? I think not, Shannon Gibbs.”
“You are a charmer, Dr. Mallard. Very good at reading people as well, you’re pretty accurate in your diagnosis. I’d do everything and anything I have to, to keep Kelly safe. My life means nothing if she’s not happy and healthy.”
“Your life means everything to your daughter, my dear. And to your husband even if things aren’t the way they used to be.” Ducky continued to try to soothe her. “We will find the answers here, Shannon, and keep you and your daughter safe. Forever.”
“No one can promise forever. I’ll take safe for the time being, and a normal life for Kelly.” Shannon didn’t look past the week she was in anymore; there were no guarantees, at least none that she believed. “I won’t do anything to put myself at risk, for Kelly and for Jethro.”
“Work with Jethro rather than against him, my dear. You can expend much more energy on a joint purpose than you will if you’re at odds.”
He pulled back, really looking at the beautiful woman in his arms. She was stunning. Jethro had always chosen beautiful women and this one seemed to have the substance the others had lacked.
“I see that you’ll move mountains for your family, my dear. Fortunately, everyone in this room will do so as well and I’d wager that they all consider you just as much family as Jethro does.”
Chapter End Notes:
Author Note:Sorry for the delay! This summer has been filled with writing but we haven't been posting so much lately! We're trying to get better about that!Back chapters can be found here:http://fatedmates.com/sc.htm
Previously in the story:Jethro received a mysterious package from the FBI and it led him to Shannon and Kelly Gibbs, very much alive and very much in danger. Jethro and his team brought his injured wife and their now-adult daughter to NCIS HQ. Shannon and Tony had a confrontation and Jethro a scary medical episode. Tony attempted to break up with Gibbs, but his lover was having none of it and convinced Tony to hang tough.
And so the story continues...
Previously in the story:Jethro received a mysterious package from the FBI and it led him to Shannon and Kelly Gibbs, very much alive and very much in danger. Jethro and his team brought his injured wife and their now-adult daughter to NCIS HQ. Shannon and Tony had a confrontation and Jethro a scary medical episode. Tony attempted to break up with Gibbs, but his lover was having none of it and convinced Tony to hang tough.
And so the story continues...