Perspectives From the Other Side of the Fence

By SherryGabs

Rated: T

Disclaimer: Just playing with the characters. No profit being made. Tom and Ellie are all mine.

Summary: While visiting an unconscious Gibbs in the hospital, Jenny and Ducky find they aren't the only ones who think they know Jethro.

Warnings: Angst, thoughts of suicide.

Author's Note: I haven't written anything in a few years. This idea came to mind, and I don't remember anything similar being done before. But it's not like I've been through the whole NCIS archive either, so who knows? If you'd like a time reference, let's say sometime late season 4. Not a Gibbs/Shepard shipper story, except for one tiny little reference. My first NCIS fanfiction. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flames are not. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know.

Chapter 1

It had been at the back of her mind since the last time it had happened--which wasn't so long ago--that he might not come out of a third coma. But this time was slightly different. The coma had been medically induced to help relieve swelling on his brain. Not to mention giving his badly bruised liver and broken ribs time to start mending without him moving around.

She sighed, giving voice to her worry. "Ducky, how many more times are we going to have to sit here and wait for him to wake up?"

The medical examiner, and friend, seated next to her looked as if he'd aged ten years in the past day. Patting Jenny's knee he said, "Jennifer, I'm afraid as long as Jethro is who he is, we're going to have to get used to the fact that he will always put himself in danger to do the 110% he expects of himself on the job." He shakes his head. "If Anthony hadn't shown up when he did, I'm afraid Jethro would be on one of my tables right now instead of here."

It was an old story to both the Director and the Doctor.

----Flashback----

Two marine lieutenants had been suspected of dealing in weapons trades with Taliban insurgents. The two-week long investigation had come to a head and finally finding where the two perps and their lackeys were holed-up had spurred the Team into action. When Gibbs and his Team showed up at the warehouse, each covered one of the four entrances to the building. Giving the order to go, Gibbs entered his door and immediately saw the two men examining the contents of a crate of guns. Instead of waiting for backup, he pointed his gun. "Federal agent! Freeze!" The two men lowered the guns they were holding back into the crate and raised their hands.

Gibbs took a few steps forward. "Come around to this side and get down on the floor!"

Instead of complying, the lieutenants just smiled and lowered their hands. That's when Gibbs felt the swoosh of air and sudden impact to his head with a very hard object. He fell to the floor and never felt the second blow to his head or the ones that were directed at his side where the Kevlar vest didn't cover.

Tony had heard his boss's commands and had come running from his entrance a few hundred feet down the same side of the building. His eyes widened in fear as he saw the man about to bring the butt of the rifle down again on Gibbs. He didn't even stop running as he raised his gun and fired, hitting the yet unnamed man right through the center of his chest. When he came up on Gibbs, Tony saw the two lieutenants raise their own guns. Tony dropped down to one knee and fired. The first went down, dead before hitting the floor. The other fired at Tony, missing him by a good three feet. Tony's next bullet went through the head of the second man, also killing him instantly.

Seeing that none of the three were any longer breathing, he let his own breath out and turned to the too quiet man beside him. Tony saw the blood coming from the head wounds, turning the silver hair a sticky red. He checked Gibbs's neck for a jugular pulse and found a thready beat.

"Damn it, Boss! Why didn't you wait for me?" he scolded quietly. Lifting the cell phone from his belt, he dialed 911.

This is when McGee and Ziva arrived, each pulling a handcuffed man along with them. They'd heard the shots and the shock at seeing their boss lying in a growing pool of blood showed on their faces.

"Tony?" McGee gasped worriedly.

Giving their location and an order to double-time it to the 911 operator, Tony hung up. "He's alive." Then gesturing at the other three bodies, "They're not." He removed his jacket, folded it, and gently raised Gibbs's head to place it underneath. As scared as he was, Tony knew he had to keep his head and take charge. He pulled the handcuffs from the back of his belt and tossed them to Ziva. "Find something solid to chain those two dirtbags to. McGee, call in Ducky and a backup team then the two of you make sure there's nobody else hiding around here. Ambulance is on its way."

Fighting the desire to follow Tony's orders and the need to know Gibbs's condition, they both just stared down at him for several seconds. Realizing they needed to secure the area and check for further dangers Ziva touched McGee's arm. "Do what he says," she whispered. Letting out a long breath, McGee nodded knowing she was right.

Over an hour later, the three entered the emergency room. They had waited at the warehouse to give preliminary reports to the backup team and to an obviously worried Ducky. As Tony was about to ask the woman at the counter about Gibbs, Jenny approached them.

"Agent DiNozzo," she said behind him.

Tony turned. "Director." He looked somewhat surprised to see her there. "You got here quick."

"I came as soon as I heard. Gibbs is still being examined, so I haven't been told anything yet."

Three pairs of shoulders slumped and as many eyes went downcast.

"Why don't you all come sit down and tell me what happened," Jenny suggested gently.

------------------

It would be another thirty minutes before the ER doctor finally came out and talked to them. Another three hours until the surgeon came to tell them that Gibbs's liver was only bruised, they were able to stop the bleeding from his brain, but unable to reduce the swelling as of yet. They would put him in a coma until then and he was listed as critical but stable.

Staying throughout most of the evening by his bedside in ICU and being joined by Abby and Ducky, they took turns visiting in pairs. Abby was completely distraught but knowing Gibbs would expect her to be strong, she did her best to act brave in front of the others. The doctor had told them there would be absolutely no chance of Gibbs being woken up in the next couple of days at least, he advised they go home for the night. Abby and Tony both balked at this, but Ducky and Jenny both insisted they needed to go home and rest. Jenny also told them they could all visit for a short time in the morning, but they were needed at the office for follow-up procedures. It was not up for debate.

----Present----

Early the next afternoon is when Jenny and Ducky find themselves sitting in Gibbs's room and wondering how many times they would have to wait for Jethro to wake up. ZNN and other local stations had gotten wind of the story and had been reporting off and on all morning. It was also this very same afternoon when the Director and the Doctor, who thought they knew Jethro better than most, would find out that maybe someone else knew Jethro just as well—if not better.

....I'm afraid Jethro would be on one of my tables right now instead of here."

As Ducky finished his sentence, the door to the ICU room opened slowly.

"I'm not sure if I want to see him like this," a shaky female voice said quietly as the door opened wider.

"It's the least we can do for him, Ellie," an elderly-sounding male voice said as they came fully into the room and let the door close behind them.

Jenny and Ducky both stared at the older couple, who appeared to be in their late seventies or early eighties. The elderly couple didn't notice them at first as they stared down at the man in the bed.

"Oh, look at the poor dear, Tom!" Ellie's eyes immediately watered. One freckled hand went to her mouth while the other clutched her husband's sleeve.

Tom's lined face took on an angry look. "That damn job is going to get him killed one of these times. Why did he ever go back to work there?"

Ducky and Jenny looked at each other, wondering who the couple were and how they knew Gibbs. Standing up, Jenny cleared her throat. "Excuse me."

The older couple jerked at the voice and finally noticed the other two visitors.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ellie said, catching her breath. "We didn't realize Jethro already had visitors. We can come back."

"No, that won't be necessary," Jenny said calmly. After Tom's comment about Jethro's job and he coming back to it made her wary. "You are?" she asked, looking between the two.

"Tom and Ellie Kingston," Tom pointed to himself then his wife. "We're Jethro's next door neighbors. Have been for close to 25 years."

Ellie smiled warmly. "Ever since he and Shannon bought their house when she was pregnant with Kelly."

The little bit of news slightly stunned Jenny and Ducky. She felt the need to sit down again. Jethro had never talked about any of his neighbors. Still feeling like she should be careful, Jenny decided to stay on the side of caution. "I'm Jackie," she gestured her hand to Ducky. "This is Dick. We're friends of Jethro's." She wasn't sure if Jethro had ever mentioned the names of his coworkers.

Ducky's curious glare at Jenny was met with her wide-eyed 'play with me' plea. He understood immediately.

"Ah, yes," he stuttered, clearing his throat. "We're good acquaintances."

Ellie thought a moment. "I don't think he's ever mentioned you," she shrugged. "But we don't know everyone he knows, so...."

"Yes, that probably would be highly unlikely," Ducky muttered quietly. "I don't recall him ever mentioning any of his neighbors either."

"Guess he wouldn't have had any reason to," Tom said like it was no big deal.

There was a quiet pause, then Jenny asked, "Have you spoken with Jethro's doctor? You know his condition?"

Ellie moved to one side of the bed and clasped Jethro's left hand, while Tom moved to the other and stood looking down at Jethro. "Yes, we talked to the doctor. We wouldn't have known about this at all until Jethro came home and told us. We saw the story on the news this morning." He shook his head. "Wish we could have been here for him the last time, but we didn't know anything about the explosion or his memory loss until he came home." His voice became shaky. "Just to tell us he was retiring to Mexico and asked us to keep an eye on his house while he was gone."

Ellie reached out to Jethro's cheek and stroked the stubble that had grown. "It was such a shock. So sudden." A tear slipped down her cheek as she stared down at the man she considered like a son. "And if those people hadn't begged him to come back, he may still be there. Safe. Not here fighting for his life. Again."

Jenny and Ducky looked at each other uncomfortably. But Jenny had to defend her decision to ask Gibbs to stay. "From what I know of Jethro, he loves his job. He's very respected by the people he works with and he takes care of and loves them like family."

Tom hmphed. "Well, young lady, I have news for you. Jethro doesn't love his job. At least not like he used to. I'm sure he has the respect of the people he works with, he's a good man. He's often spoken highly of his coworkers."

Ellie decided to jump in here, her voice becoming slightly defensive. "But if they really respected and loved him like he does his coworkers, then they shouldn't have pressured him to come out of retirement. He was happy where he was. He had every intention of coming back to Washington eventually. He just needed time to heal properly, to get his memories back completely." She choked back a sob. "He had just had to relive the most horrific time of his life. Losing his wife and daughter, losing his Marine career! He needed time to get over all that again!"

Ducky shifted uncomfortably. "You said he had intended to come back to Washington eventually. Do you mean to NCIS?"

"No, Dick," Tom shook his head. "I don't think Jethro would have gone back to NCIS on his own. Before he left for Mexico we were talking over the fence between our backyards like we always do. He told me about the explosion, the coma, and losing the last 15 years worth of memories. He told us about how he'd left the hospital on his own after, ah, what's her name, Ziva? Yes, Ziva helped him remember certain things. Something about a terrorist attack. He didn't go into detail about it, just said that a ship full of sailors died completely unnecessarily. How he'd tried to stop it and couldn't. He was so disillusioned with it all. Said he'd never go back there."

"Jethro wrote us a few times while he was in Mexico to let us know how he was doing," Ellie added. "He said once he felt whole again he was going to come back and find a different job." She chuckled sadly. "Something that didn't involve government agencies that used alphabet soup in their titles."

Ducky felt a flame of jealousy that Jethro had written letters to his neighbors while he had gotten absolutely nothing. How come Jethro had never mentioned his neighbors? Why can he talk so openly with them and not him? 'Why did Jethro always feel the need to keep secrets?' He thought angrily.

Jenny's feelings paralleled Ducky's. She felt him stiffen beside her and knew what he must be thinking. She reached over and squeezed his hand in support quickly, then released it. She couldn't believe Jethro would talk to his neighbors about all of this. She had known him over ten years and he still only told her what he thought was necessary. But Jethro had obviously known his neighbors a lot longer and seemed to trust them fully. They'd known Shannon and Kelly personally, had watched Jethro's daughter grow into a beautiful young girl. Had known Jethro when he was so much different than the man Jenny knew now.

"I once told him he should open up a woodworking shop." Tom smiled at the memory. "He's really good at building things with his hands. He built us a gazebo in our backyard for our 50th wedding anniversary."

"Yes," Ducky said, not looking them in the face, but keeping his eyes set on the wall behind them. "His fondness for building boats has become legendary."

"Builds them with the meticulousness of a surgeon. Don't know why he bothers, though," Tom shrugged. "I don't think he's sailed any of the ones he's finished. Just builds them and then either takes an axe to them or burns them. Except the first one, of course."

"You know most of them represented his wives, Tom," Ellie said sadly. "Can't say as I've ever understood how he deals with the losses he's had in marriage. Jethro can be strange and different, and his ex-wives even more so. Guess that's why he chose them."

"What about the first boat?" Jenny asked. "What happened to it?"

"Now there's another example of strange and different," Ellie refrained from rolling her eyes. She gently stroked Jethro's head through the bandages covering it, remembering several years earlier. "He'd grown several bushes of yellow roses and several dozen purple irises. When they were bloomed he took each and every flower, arranged them into bouquets and put them on the boat. We also have a boat and he asked us to follow him out into the Atlantic several miles. He finally stopped, cut the engine and just stood staring at all those flowers for a long time." Ellie paused. "Then he touched the nameplate that read 'Shannon' and said goodbye. He jumped into our boat and just said "Let's go home." We left the boat to let it drift wherever it may."

"Yellow roses for Shannon and purple irises for Kelly. Their favorites," Tom added. He went around the bed and put an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"That's very sad," Ducky said, rubbing a hand over his eye.

They were all quiet for several moments, then Ellie smiled wistfully. "Tom, remember when Jethro and Shannon added the second floor to their house a few months after Kelly was born?"

"Yes. And I remember well the trip to the emergency room when he fell off the scaffolding." Tom chuckled. "He'd broken his arm. When I got him back home, Shannon was holding Kelly and she said to her, 'See how accident prone Daddy is?' It was the first time Kelly laughed. As if she understood."

"The most beautiful sound in the world," Ellie smiled, her eyes filling with tears. "Jethro couldn't have been more happier to be there to hear it. He was happier about everything back then."

"Yeah," Tom agreed. He looked at Jenny and Ducky, or Jackie and Dick as he knew them, as a thought suddenly occurred. He cleared his throat and whispered to his wife. "Maybe we shouldn't be saying so much. You know the boy doesn't like that."

Ellie nervously glanced at them also. "Oh, maybe you're right."

Jenny had heard the whisper, it was easy to in the quiet room. To appease the older couple and hopefully to gain more insight into Jethro's past she spoke up. "It's okay. We know about Shannon and Kelly and what happened to them. Jethro's talked about them."

Ducky nodded his head in agreement. He wouldn't say how they had found out about the deaths of Jethro's wife and daughter. That it was through the neurologist who had treated Jethro during and after his last coma. He quelled the anger that was beginning to rise, remembering Jethro's apology that he had never told Ducky about them himself. These two people, who obviously cared very deeply for his colleague didn't need to know all that. He was still having trouble overcoming the jealousy he felt towards them, but had to realize they had known Jethro years longer than he himself had. They had known him when Jethro was young and much happier and open than the distant and temperamental man he was now. Of course they would have a special place in Jethro's life.

Tom and Ellie looked into each other's eyes and silently communicated in a way that only a couple who had been together so long could understand and each nodded in agreement.

"He told you about their murders then?" Tom asked. "It's just surprising he told anyone else."

"Yes," Ducky answered. "It had to have been a most difficult time for him. He's still quite pained by it."

"Well, fifteen years ago, it was pure hell for him," Tom responded curtly. "Imagine being half a world away and told your soul mate and only child had been killed. Then five minutes later being critically injured in a surprise mortar attack. After being transferred here to the naval hospital, it was another two months before he could leave the hospital. Shannon and Kelly had already been buried while he was still comatose; he'd been told he'd been medically discharged from the Marines—he was just a walking empty shell."

"Ourselves and another couple Jethro was friends with, the Kiley's, set up a memorial service for Jethro's benefit," Ellie added. "It helped him somewhat, but not enough. He quit taking care of himself and drank too much. He just wanted to be numb." Ellie sniffled. "I'd bring him food over, but he barely ate anything. Not even his favorite apple pie. There didn't seem to be anything we could do to help him feel better."

Tom took over the story. "It was the NIS agent, Mike Franks, who finally got Jethro out of his depression after a few months. He was one of the agents involved in Shannon's and Kelly's protection detail and took their deaths personally. Felt he needed to atone to Jethro, even though he wasn't even on duty when they were killed. Franks would come by Jethro's house occasionally to check on him. If he'd see us out, he'd come over and chat a few minutes. We could tell Franks was worried about Jethro. One of those visits, he came tearing back out of Jethro's house, came over and asked if we knew where Jethro might go if he wanted to be alone, some place special to him and Shannon. It was obvious Franks was terribly worried. I told him the only places I could think of was an area of beach down the coast a short ways and a cabin they'd rented a couple of times in the Appalachians. He just grabbed my arm and told me to show him where the beach was and pulled me to his car."

Ducky and Jenny didn't dare interrupt what they thought was the pivot point that would bring Jethro back from an edge they hadn't known about as Tom continued.

"I asked Franks what was wrong as he sped towards the freeway. He said Jethro had trashed half his house and he'd found Jethro's gun case empty. Said he had a bad feeling in his gut." Tom sighed heavily. "I'll tell you, he had me worried sick by then and neither of us said another word until I had to give directions to the piece of beach Jethro and his family spent a lot of time at.

Tom's face took on a haunted look while Ellie was fighting back tears. "We found Jethro quick enough. He was sitting on some rocks, his leg still in a brace sticking out in front of him with his crutches next to him, and an empty bourbon bottle laying in the sand. But the worst part.... was seeing Jethro's face as he stared down the barrel of his gun. He looked so lost. He was fidgeting with the gun, trying to make himself pull the trigger. Then he closed his eyes and I could tell he'd come to a decision. That lost look became a peaceful one. Before I could do anything to stop him, Franks moved in.

To be continued....