Protecting His Family.

From the minute we touched down in LA Jethro had been a bit on the tense side. It was hard to tell if he was tense because we were going to a memorial service for a fallen NCIS agent or if he was tense because LA was Vance’s territory and held the memory of when Jenny supposedly died. Minutes later we had arrived at the hotel we were staying at. Jenny and Jethro shared one room. Tony and Ziva shared one other the other rooms.
Abby and McGee took the third room. I took the fourth room as Ducky took the fifth room. I had a surprise waiting for me in my room when I had got there. Ethan had been waiting for me.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was honorably discharged from the Corps. I’m a civilian like you.”
“What was the point in you being deployed?”
“I was wondering that myself.”
“Well if that’s the case then let’s make your homecoming fun.” I said with a playful look in my eyes.
“Don’t we have a memorial service to go to?”
“We have time.”
“Okay, but I don’t think your bosses would approve of it.”
“What Jenny and Jethro don’t know, won’t hurt us. Besides the memorial service for Agent Callen isn’t until four.”
At a quarter after two I had gone down to the hotel bar. Jethro was there with a glass of bourbon in front of him. It was obvious what was on Jethro’s mind.
“It wasn’t your fault that Callen died.” I said as I took the seat next to Jethro.
“I could have been there.”
“You can’t save everyone Jethro.”
A few hours later Jethro, Jenny, Ducky, Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, Ethan and I arrived at Callen’s memorial. Halfway into the service we were under fire. The same men that shot Callen the first time had opened fire on us. Jethro’s first concern was Jenny which gave me some comfort. McGee made sure that Abby and Ducky were safe.
I grabbed my gun from its holster as I shoved Ethan to where my sister, Abby and Ducky were. As I joined Jethro, Tony and Ziva in shooting back I noticed that McGee stayed back to guard the others. Within minutes of joining the gunfight both Ziva and I took a round the knee. At that moment Jethro had decided that it wasn’t safe for us to be at the memorial anymore.
“Get the Director, Abby and Ducky out of here; DiNozzo get Jaylyn and Ziva to a hospital now.”
Jenny had decided that it would best for her and Ducky to come to the hospital with Ziva and I. Jenny went into protective sister mode the minute I got into the car. Abby worried about Ziva and I like she always worried when someone on Team Gibbs was injured. Ducky tried his best to keep both Ziva and I from bleeding excessively as Tony sped towards the local hospital. Jenny turned to check on Ziva once Ducky turned to me.
“I’ll be fine Jenny. I’ve been injured worse than this.” Ziva said.
“I’m fine too, nothing surgery and some rehab can’t fix.”
A few hours later both Ziva and I were being wheeled out of the hospital in wheelchairs. Tony was pushing Ziva and Jethro pushed me as our crutches laid on our laps. Once we got to the automatic doors we were helped up and onto our crutches. Jenny had wanted Ziva and me to write up an incident report at OSP so we headed towards OSP. Once we stepped out of the elevator at OSP McGee and Ducky took mine and Ziva’s crutches from us as we were carried down the stairs by Jethro and Tony. At the bottom of the stairs we were given our crutches back and we slowly hobbled over a free desk to write up the incident reports.
Both Jenny and Gibbs wanted Ziva and I to stay off of our injured knees. That was easier said then done for two NCIS Agents that had to keep busy so that we didn’t completely lose our minds. When we were at work; Jethro made sure that both Ziva and I followed orders. Jethro had Ziva and I do desk work while we were at work. Tony would worry about Ziva every time she got up from her chair.
“I’m fine Tony; you can stop hovering over me like I am a child.”
“I can tell that you aren’t fine, Ziva.”
“Like I said before I am not a child that needs to be watched over; I’m your girlfriend.”
There was complete silence in the squad room after Ziva had spoken. Tony was completely dumbfounded. At that point I got up from my desk to go to the bathroom.
“Why are you up Jaylyn?” McGee asked as I balanced long enough on my left leg to grab my crutches.
“I have to go to the bathroom, McGee.”
“Oh.”
“Do you want to babysit me or something?”
“No not at all.”
“Okay.” I said as I made my way to the Ladies’ Room.
A few minutes later Ziva came to the Ladies’ Room too. Apparently Tony had inquired when Ziva got up from her desk like McGee had when I got up before.
“We are being treated like babies.”
“I’m about ready to tell my sister off.”
“I know, but Jenny cares and I’d rather have her here than Vance.”
“Yeah I know; I rather have Jenny as one of my bosses than have Vance too.”
“What’s wrong Jay; you don’t seem like yourself.”
“It’s nothing Ziva.” I said as I made my way over to the sink to wash my hands.
“It is obviously something if you’re this upset about it.”
“Ethan wants me to move in with him now that he is a former Marine.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him that I want to move in with him, but I can’t leave Jenny.” I said as I hobbled away from the sink to the paper towel dispenser so that Ziva could hobble over to wash her hands.
“Let me guess Ethan doesn’t understand why you can’t leave Jenny.”
“Exactly; I just got Jenny back and she is the only family I have since our dad died fourteen years ago. Ethan doesn’t get that every time I heard that Jenny took a round while she and Gibbs were in Paris ten years ago, I thought was going to lose her.”
“He will get it. And you won’t ever lose Jenny; Jay. I won’t let anything happen to her and Gibbs definitely won’t either.”
“Thanks Ziva, I’ll hold you to that.”
“I figured you would. And Jay; you have more than just Jenny as your family. You have Gibbs and the entire team as your family. It can be dysfunctional at its best; but its still family.” Ziva said as we hobbled out of the Ladies’ Room and back to the squad room before men started to worry about us.