What The Heart Wants
- Chapter 4 -
Jenny opened her eyes suddenly; she looked around the dark room wondering what had woken her. The wind was howling outside, whistling through the window she had left ajar, the trees were creaking as the wind forced them backwards and forwards. Rain pummeled the window, thunder crashed overhead and a bolt of lightening lit up a slither of her room for a split second. She strained to hear through the deafening storm, she sat up and pulled the baby monitor towards her, she smiled at the soft breathing and tiny groans.
Her door opened and she instinctively reached under her pillow, as she saw the figure approaching she released her grip on her gun. He was shaking and whimpering as he walked towards her clutching his teddy tightly, 'Aaron, what is it?' He pulled his teddy higher and began to cry, 'Aaron,' she slipped out from under the covers and pulled on her silk wrap before lifting him into her arms. He wrapped his arms around her neck and cried into her hair, 'shhh, shhh, what's wrong.'
'S S storm scary,' he sobbed, Jenny rubbed his back soothingly, 'I know,' Aaron jumped as the thunder boomed outside, 'it can't hurt you, sweetie,' 'W W want mommy,' he stammered, Jenny felt tears well up in her own eyes, 'she can't come sweetheart,' she hugged him tightly trying to comfort him. He shook at another clap of thunder, she lifted him up into her arms and took him back to her bed, she slipped under the duvet and wrapped it around him.
'It's okay Aaron, I know it's scary but its okay,' he sniffed into her shoulder and neck, 'but no mommy and no daddy,' she kissed his head and rubbed his back, 'it's gonna be okay Aaron, you'll get a new mommy and daddy and everything will be okay.' 'Really?' he asked nuzzling his face into her neck, 'I promise everything will be okay.'
The next morning she opened her eyes and looked around the room, everywhere was quiet, the storm had passed and Aaron was no longer frightened. She was also no longer in her own bedroom; she had fallen asleep beside Aaron after putting him back in his own bed. He was curled up next to her clutching his teddy tightly with one small hand grasping her sleeve. She gently removed the material from his fingers and slipped off the bed, she looked down into Anthony's crib and smiled at his tiny sleeping form.
Something about the two sleeping boys entranced her, she stared at the tiny fingers flexing slowly as they slept and watched their nostrils flare as they breathed, she watched their chests rise and fall and spied every twitch, every noise they made and breathed in their scent, loving every minute.
She had only had them for twenty-four hours but already she couldn't imagine being without them. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and watched them sleep, her lip trembling, she fought back a sob at the thought of letting them go. She walked to the door determinedly, how attached to them could she be in a day? She was being stupid, when the time came she would give them to social services and they would go to a couple who could take care of them properly, and she wouldn't get upset.
Something grabbed at her leg and she looked down, two big brown eyes peered up at her, 'Hey you, you happier this morning? No more scary thunder,' he nodded and held his arms up to her. She bent down and lifted him into her arms, 'ooh, you want some breakfast? Let's see what Jethro got us,' she smiled widely as she carried him down the stairs and into the kitchen.
She sat him on the work top and opened a cupboard, 'do you want muffins?' Aaron shook his head smiling, 'pancakes?' she smiled as he grinned back at her nodding, 'maple syrup?' Aaron screwed up his face, 'chocolate!' he bounced up and down. Jenny grinned and nodded, 'okay chocolate chip pancakes,' she lifted him up and set him on the floor, 'you go down there, and you can stir in the chocolate chips.'
She made up the batter with Aaron practically under her feet and set the bowl on the table, she opened up the bag of chocolate chips and poured some into the mix, she picked up the spoon and stood behind Aaron holding the bowl still as he moved the spoon around with both hands. After a lot of giggling and determined stirring from Aaron the chocolate was all mixed in and the mix was ready.
Jenny heated the pan and poured in some of the mix, Aaron watched with greedy eyes as it began to set, Jenny flipped it over and cooked the other side before sliding it onto Aaron's plate. His eyes lit up as Jenny cut it into pieces for him, she smiled and poured out three more globs of mixture onto the pan and cooked them, she continued until she had cooked all the mix and stacked them up on a plate. She sat down opposite Aaron and started to eat one of the pancakes herself, Aaron grinned as he finished his and stared at the stack.
Jenny slid another one onto his plate and smiled as she took a huge bit of her pancake. As they finished the pancakes Jenny heard a whimper from upstairs, 'I think that's our sign to get ready,' she grinned at Aaron and led him back upstairs to where Anthony was wide awake and crying in his crib. She lifted him out and held him to her, gently bouncing up and down to try to calm him.
Jenny arrived at work two hours later and led Aaron from the elevator towards Gibbs and his team, she balanced Anthony on her hip and had the changing bag over her shoulder, she also had her purse over her shoulder and a small child's rucksack filled with toys. 'Morning Jenny,' Tony smiled, noticing her full arms and staring at the way Aaron was holding onto her.
'Morning Tony,' she looked at the others, her eyes resting upon Gibbs as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, 'Any news on the autopsy?' She asked, they group looked at Gibbs, 'toxicology? Anything?' He swallowed and looked at the desk, 'Ducky is doing the autopsy now, Abby's in the lab, nothing yet.' Jenny nodded and turned towards the stairs, a phone rang behind her and she stopped to listen. 'Gibbs, be right down,' she raised her eyebrow at Gibbs, 'Abby's got something.'