Hi, everyone! I know it's been a ridiculous amount of time, but I've got my muse back, I think (hope). I don't know when the next update will be, but I'm looking forward to the next... three to four chapters. I think they're going to be good. 3

Chapter Nine

Monday morning drew bleak and rainy. Jenny felt rather than saw the cold winds blowing outside as she huddled under her bedcovers, shivering in her pyjamas. I really don't want to go to work today...she told herself for a moment, then realized that she didn't have to. She didn't have any work to go to. Along with the cold front that had moved over Washington, that realization was enough to ruin her mood.

With a sigh, Jen pushed the covers back and got up to brush her teeth. It was much easier now to find her way around her bedroom and into the bathroom; after a week, she'd well gotten used to maneuvering in the dark. The dark still frightened her incredibly, but she now felt confident enough to move about her own house. Many tasks were proving almost impossible to do, a fact she didn't let herself dwell on. If it was unpleasant, she simply didn't think about it.

Jethro helped. She had known he would help from the start. To some point, she almost thought it unfair. He was there every step of the way, holding her back when she was going to walk into something, helping her dress, even tying the damned plastic bag around her arm every time she wanted to shower. He helped her with her meds and, most importantly, kept her occupied. If she'd been alone, she would have surely gone crazy. But, with Jethro there, there was someone that cared enough to keep her mind focused on other things than the darkness her life had spiraled down into. She felt almost as if she were taking advantage of him. Every time she felt as if she might start to get emotionally wobbly, she'd make some small movement for him to comfort her. She never asked, and she never returned the favor. It really was unfair. He really was doing everything he could, yet she still snapped at him when her mood wasn't great. And even if she was being an unfair bitch to him, even though he could get up and walk out of the door at any moment, he never did.

He really was too good to her.

"Senora?" came a voice from downstairs. Jen let out a low breath, replacing her toothbrush in the cup inside the bathroom cupboard. At least she wasn't completely alone. She had Noemi, her housekeeper to keep her company until Jethro returned. Well, in all likelihood, the old woman would finish her work before Jethro got back from work. If he caught a case, he might even not be back for hours. She pushed that possibility to the back of her mind; she'd much rather not think about it.

"I'll be right down, Noemi." Jen answered her old friend and slowly made her way back to her bedroom. She was in no mood to dress, but still didn't want to spend the day around the house in her pyjamas. For a few moments, she dithered, then let out a resolute sigh. Like many things over the past few days, this was just one more unpleasant task. Jen had discovered that, more and more often, she was required to do something she really didn't want to, but still had to do it. She had to take her medicine; she had to take her painkillers; she had to carry on with life as if her spirits hadn't been sunk by what she could only call a tragedy.

She didn't like to think of herself as tragic – it seemed so pitiful and dramatic.

Come on, Jen, don't be so dreary. She told herself, shaking her head to clear it. Isn't it amusing how the weather can still get me down without my even seeing it? She chuckled slightly, but it didn't do too much to raise her spirits. Still, she was slightly more cheerful than before. Positive thinking, that's the way. You're stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just thinking that made her feel a little better. Picking out a vest and sweater, as well as a pair of slacks, she changed into them and into a clean pair of socks before padding downstairs, her hand just skimming the banister, ready to grab hold of it in case she slipped. She didn't, however.

You're getting used to this.Despite her mood, Jen allowed herself a pleased smirk. She'd be damned if she let this get her down.

That thought giving her a reason to try and cheer herself up, Jen went into the kitchen. Even from the hallway, she could hear Noemi moving about, clattering china and cutlery onto the table.

"Good morning, Senora." her cheerful housekeeper greeted, pouring her her cup of coffee and bringing the tray of medicine to her; Gibbs had readied it before leaving that morning, along with a note to the latina. "How did you sleep?"

"Well enough, Noemi. The weather ruined my day, however." Jen replied, reaching carefully for her mug of coffee. The last thing she needed was to spill her morning lifeline onto the table.

"Si, si. Oh, Senor Gibbs says to remind you of your appointment." she added, bringing her a plate of toast. "He says to call a cab at four to take you to the doctor."

Her appointment.

Instantly, the good mood she'd carefully been nurturing for the past half hour plummeted. Jen had completely forgotten that today was her first session with her psychologist - "helper" as they had called him when they made the appointment. Just the thought of the psychologist, the clinic and the "session" they would have made her shudder; she was in no mood to talk about her new disability, not with Jethro and certainly not with a complete stranger.

"Senora?" Noemi called, noticing her silence. "Oh, it'll be alright, senora. You'll see." the housekeeper said gently, putting a comforting hand on the younger woman's shoulder. Jen sighed, but nodded, one finger tracing the rim of her mug. Noemi said nothing for a few seconds, then reached forwards and tapped the medicine tray. "Senora should take her medication." she suggested kindly, then returned to readying lunch.

Jen said nothing in reply. For a minute or so, she just continued tracing her cup's rim before she reached for the tray, fumbling with the eyedrops. She managed to get the medication in – practice makes perfect, they say. Wiping her cheek with a paper napkin, she finished her coffee slowly. Usually when she was home during the day, she would work in her study and Noemi would do her own thing with the house. The two didn't mind staying apart yet, today, Jenny really wanted the older woman's company. She didn't say so outright, but stayed at the table. The latina seemed to understand; she kept on a steady stream of chatter about this and that while the redhead remained quiet, drinking in the sound of her voice.

After lunch, Jen moved into the living room and turned on the television, sitting quietly on the couch. The sofa felt wide around her, as if it had gotten bigger. Or, perhaps, it was her that had shrunk into herself. She knew she wasn't eating well. Jethro kept trying to get her to eat more, but she just wasn't in the mood to.

Jethro...

She should have guessed. Watching TV was a distraction from the darkness around her only with Jethro. He made it bearable, even enjoyable. Reaching for a cushion, Jen buried her face against it, struggling to hold back the tears. This day hadn't worked out. Jethro had been back at work for only five hours, and already she was breaking apart. Had she really become that pathetic...?

With those morbid thoughts swirling around her head, Jen didn't care when the doorbell rang. Noemi hurried through the hallway to open the door, greeting someone. The answer was soft, so Jen didn't catch it. She recognized the footsteps coming into the living room, though, as well as the voice that addressed her. As the person stopped in front of her, she looked up.

"Jenny." Ziva said in a calm, even voice. "How are you doing?"