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After the shock of finding her Dad’s letter, Kayla had actually agreed on a sparring boxing session with Jessica. They went at it for a while, actually enjoying it, and particularly their conversations that had nothing to do with work in between friendly combats. And it felt so good to have someone to share this kind of moment with, especially another woman. So much so that they enthusiastically agreed on doing it again as soon as possible.
When they were done, they went their separate ways. Jessica threw her sports bag on the passenger’s seat when she climbed in her car. The first thing she did after that was to undo her braid and her ponytail, letting out a sigh of relief. She massaged her skull for a few seconds, enjoying how good it felt to have a hair free falling after being in that tight ponytail for the biggest part of the day.
She barely had the time to put the keys in the car when her phone rang and she rolled her eyes in amusement when she saw the name of the caller.
“What do you want now, Torres?”
She teased, as she picked up, pretending to be annoyed, but actually glad he was calling as she was pretty sure it was to tell her to join him at Parker’s for some impromptu dinner with the team.
Jessica waited for his answer, turning her car on and frowned when he didn’t say anything. Instead, all she could hear was some breathing. Some shallow breathing that instantly turned her blood to ice and she froze in her car.
“Torres?”
She asked, any touch of teasing gone from her voice. When she still had no answer after repeating his name again, and only a heavy, loud breathing, Jessica started getting worried, but still hoped he was trying to prank her.
“Okay, Nick, this is not funny. What’s going on?”
“Shot.”
That only word made her blood turn to ice again as she could easily tell how much it cost him to talk. She immediately checked Nick’s location and put the GPS on, before shifting gears.
“I’m on my way.”
She told him before starting driving while calling Jimmy. He thankfully picked up pretty quickly and she instantly said, not losing a second.
“Hey, Jimmy.”
“Jess? What’s wrong?”
Jimmy picked up on her voice instantly, guessing something was off and she was glad he did, at least they would not lose precious seconds.
“I think Nick is in trouble.”
She explained the cryptic phone call she had just received and gave him their friend’s location.
“I’ll meet you there.”
There was no hesitation in Jimmy’s voice and once she hung up, Jessica drove faster, calling 9-1-1 on her way, giving them her badge number, to make sure they would take her call, despite the uncertainty of the situation, seriously.
When she arrived at the dark alley, she mentally reprimanded Nick for going there alone in the first place. Nothing good ever happened in dark alleys at night. He should know it by now. And, only seconds later, she realized she had been right when she noticed the shape of a body laying on the ground. And it was definitely Nick’s body. She rushed towards him and what she saw once she got closer, was him, laying in a pool of his own blood.
“Oh my God, Nick!”
Despite feeling like her heart was beating in her ears, deafening her, she kneeled beside him and took his face between her hands, still careful not to move him too much to not make his injury even worse than it already was and that’s when she realized he wasn’t conscious anymore, but still breathing.
“Come on, Torres! Don’t do this to me!”
She exclaimed before checking his body, and once she saw where the blood was coming from she pressed her fingers against his wounds to try to stop the bleeding. She heard sirens coming closer but she knew it was too soon for them to be for Nick already and it felt like an eternity before she heard a car coming. She didn’t need to look up to know it was Jimmy finally arriving.
“You stay with me, Torres, or I’ll kill you myself!”
She exclaimed, almost serious about the threat, when she felt Nick’s breathing becoming less and less steady.
“You won’t have to.”
Jimmy’s voice reached her before she heard his precipitated footsteps and before she felt him crouch next to her. His words did nothing to reassure her.
“Is he…”
“No.”
Jimmy cut her firmly, not allowing her to finish that question, or even that thought, despite how bad Nick looked. Blood. This was all he noticed when he had joined Jessica, and he could already tell Nick had lost a lot of it. He didn’t even open his first aid kit bag, knowing there was anything he could do right now and asked.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know.”
She answered and Jimmy could so clearly hear the distress in her voice. He put his hand on hers, feeling them shake, to apply a proper pressure point on Nick’s bullet wound to try and contain the quantity of blood flowing out of him as minimal as possible
Jimmy purposefully avoided looking at Nick as well. He could not bear seeing his friend’s face, lying on the floor, completely inanimate, not knowing if he would be okay, just like he could not gather the courage to look up at Jessica and see the tears that he knew were streaming down her face. He had so clearly heard them in her voice, and he certainly didn’t want to see the fear and panic on Jessica’s features. He already felt her hand shake with distress under his as he insisted on the pressure point.
Only a few seconds passed before the medics arrived, but as they waited with a heavy and tense silence, neither of them knowing what to say, it felt like it took them forever to come. When they joined them on the floor, Jimmy instantly gave them Nick’s blood type and got up, briefly briefing them on Nick’s situation.
“Come on, Jess, we need to give them some room.”
Since her blue tank top - and he guessed she had actually gone to a sparring session with Kayla, she had mentioned it to him earlier - was already covered in blood, he put his hand on her waist, making her get up as well. She reluctantly let Jimmy lead her away from Nick - not that far though - as he kept an eye on him and the paramedics.
For the first time since he arrived, Jimmy looked at her, and instantly noticed she was on the verge of some sort of panic attack. He took her hands, covered in Nick’s blood, in his, feeling them shake uncontrollably. Jimmy felt her squeeze his hands and rubbed the top of her hands with his thumb, in a movement he wanted reassuring.
“They got him, Jess. They got him.”
“There was so much blood.”
She stated and Jimmy could tell that seeing Nick’s body laying in that much blood had shocked her. He also noticed how she was carefully avoiding looking at her partner right now.
“And they’re taking care of him.”
Jimmy saw her nod at his words as Jessica carefully kept her eyes on him instead of Torres. Jimmy glanced towards the paramedics that were getting ready to move their friend. He swiped Jessica’s tears from her cheek with the back of his hand, to avoid putting even more blood on her.
“Come on, let’s follow them.”
Jessica followed to his car, glad she didn’t have to drive right now. They followed the ambulance and, on their way to the hospital, she asked.
“Is he going to be okay?”
“I…” He started but he hesitated before honestly whispering. “I can’t say, sorry. But the medics didn’t seem… desperate.”
Jessica took his hand in hers and they exchanged a look when they had to stop at a red light. She was so thankful for the comfort his words brought her. He started driving again and they spent the rest of the drive in a tense silence, but both grateful the other was here with them.
When they arrived at the hospital, they were informed that Nick was currently under surgery while they were removing the bullet. Before going to the waiting room, Jimmy gestured towards the bathrooms and said.
“Come on, let’s get cleaned up a bit.”
Jimmy cleaned his hands several times, but gave up on his jacket for now. The blood stains would have to wait for later. When he exited, there was no sign of Jessica, so he waited for her next to the ladies room. But after a while, when she still had not come out, Jimmy went inside, not caring if he wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Jess, you’re goo-”
Jimmy’s question died on his lips when he saw her. He didn’t expect to find Jessica the way he did when he entered. She was over a sink, frantically washing her hands again and again despite them being already clean, but couldn’t stop, feeling like her fingers were still covered in Nick’s blood and would stay that way forever. Jimmy slowly got closer to stop the water and took her hands in his, looking at her with a little smile.
“If you keep going like that you’re going to scrub your own skin.”
“It feels like I can't get rid of his blood.”
The distress in her voice was easily audible and, without hesitation, he put one of his hands on the back of her neck to pull her into a hug. He didn’t need to ask to know how much she needed it. She instantly wrapped her arms around his waist and Jimmy held her tightly.
“But you did. And Nick is going to be fine.”
He whispered in her hair in a voice that brought her so much comfort, yet not as much as the kiss she definitely felt in her hair did. Jessica closed her eyes and held him a little tighter. Jimmy had no idea how long they stayed like this, but he rubbed the top of her back with his thumb and eventually said.
“We should go to the waiting room. To make sure we don’t miss the doctor.”
They sat in a corner of the waiting room, away from other persons expecting news on loved ones as well and Jimmy, at some point, put his hand on her knee, making her stop nervously tapping her foot on the floor and bringing her some comfort with that simple touch. She laid her head on his shoulder and Jimmy moved his arm from her knee to her shoulder, wrapping her into a hug.
“We should call Bishop.”
Jessica whispered, moments later and that made Jimmy smile. He took his phone out of his pocket, only now realizing they had not thought about alerting anyone else yet.
“We should call Parker first.”
“Can you do it?”
Jimmy got up after nodding and stepped away to not disturb other people in the waiting room. While he informed Parker of the situation, he kept an eye on Jessica, and made sure he didn’t miss the doctor or nurse coming for an update. He walked back to her only a few minutes later, taking her hand in his, and squeezing it as their eyes locked while he informed her that their team leader was on his way to the hospital, before he put his arm back around her shoulders to hold her against him again.
It wasn’t long before Nick’s doctor walked in and Jessica and Jimmy got up at the same time. The update was reassuring and they both let out the breath they had been holding this whole time. Jimmy felt Jessica’s shaking arm around his waist and he held her against him, both relieved. The doctor left them alone, telling them a nurse would tell them when they would be able to go see Nick. Jimmy wrapped her into another hug, both of them much more relaxed now. He fought the urge to press another kiss on her forehead.
Only a few minutes later, a nurse led them to a room. They just had to wait for Nick to wake up, but knowing he was going to be okay made the wait easier. Jimmy let her the chair, and stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder as he updated her about Parker, who had gone to the crime scene with McGee first and was asking them about Torres.
“Welcome back.”
Jessica said, once Nick had regained consciousness and after giving him a moment to find his bearings. She smiled and Jimmy heard her relieved sighed when Nick quietly laughed and his answer came in.
“You didn't think you’d get rid of me that easily?”
Jimmy has never been more glad than at this moment to hear his friend tease Jess. He laughed and walked around the chair to get closer to him, deciding on teasing him back, if only to get back at him for scaring Jess and him like he had that night.
“See? This is what happens when you don’t listen to me.” When he noticed the confused expressions on both Jess and Nick’s faces, he clarified. “I told you to have a good night earlier. You should have listened to me.”
Despite their laughter, Jessica turned serious again pretty quickly as she said, looking at Nick. Jimmy, his hand still on her shoulder, felt her tense a little.
“You scared me, partner.”
“That was not my intention.”
Jessica acknowledged his words with a little nod and a smile. She leaned in to tell him with a smirk, and Jimmy was barely able to hold back a little chuckle.
“You do that again, and I’ll kill you myself.”
“I heard you the first time you threatened me already.”
This time, it was Jessica’s turn to chuckle and she felt Jimmy squeezed her shoulder softly before he moved his hand away and she instantly missed his touch. Without thinking, she looked up at him and they exchanged a smile and he was glad to see relief on her face. They held each other’s stare for a bit longer than necessary, which didn’t escape Nick’s attention, making him hold back a smirk and an eye roll. When Jimmy noticed, he looked back at his friend and asked before he could tease them.
“So why call Jess and not 9-1-1?”
“I guess she was the last number I called.”
“Oh!” Jessica exclaimed, pretending to be offended by his words but her tone was definitely teasing. “And here I thought it was because I am more important to you than McGee or Parker. You know… since I'm your wife and everything.”
“Well, I can't admit that in front of him.”
Nick explained, struggling to gesture towards Jimmy and Jessica’s eye roll was an instant answer even if she wasn’t surprised by her friend’s playful gibe. After stuttering for words, Jimmy leaned in to say to Jess, just loud enough for Torres to hear him as well.
“Yeah, he’s definitely feeling better, and he will be okay.”
Jimmy’s closeness made her instantly almost forget they weren’t alone and she almost felt a little stupid for the way her heart raced, just because of him. Hopefully for her, she managed to keep a neutral face but she definitely felt Jimmy’s soft touch linger on her back when he gestured to the window, saying.
“Parker is here, I’ll go update him.”
He closed the door behind him, as both Nick and Jessica followed Jimmy with their eyes. Once they were alone, Torres turned back to Jess with a smile.
“And you two were…”
“I called him.”
She cut him before he could even finish his thought, as she had expected. But unsurprisingly so, he wasn’t done teasing her.
“Obviously. And you and Jimmy seemed pretty close…”
“Shut up or I’m shooting you myself!”
She playfully threatened him. There was no way she would hurt him on purpose, and Nick knew it because he only laughed and kept going.
“Ooh, so touchy I see.”
“Keep going and I'll call Ellie.”
He groaned and she knew it had nothing to do with pain, and just because she had finally found an argument he couldn’t tease her back about, but he still protested.
“We don't need to call her every time one of us gets shot.”
“Oh, no. Not any of us. She won't care.” Jessica said with a grin and added on the same tone. “Somehow just you.”
“Shut up.”
“See? It's not that funny when it's done to you, uh? She teased him again and after glancing at Jimmy and Parker, still talking on the other side of the door, she said more seriously. “I knew he’d be here before 9-1-1.”
“Thanks.”
He gratefully said and Jessica looked at him, relieved that he was okay. As she noticed Jimmy and Parker coming to his room and, knowing that Parker was going to try and find out what happened, she got up, not without saying with a grin.
“No need to thank me. I needed to keep you around to keep kicking your ass.”
She heard her partner’s laugh as Parker closed the door behind her, and this time, she was the one to hug Jimmy. She was more than grateful that he had been there with her the whole time, even if it wasn’t surprising of him. Jessica knew there was no way Jimmy would have gone anywhere else when his best friend was in trouble. When the hug lingered a little too much, he softly asked.
“You good?”
“Yeah… Yeah.”
She would just need a little time to erase those awful images of Nick laying in that much blood or the feeling of his inanimate body in her hands from her mind.
“Come on, I’ll take you home. You need to change and clean up a bit.”
“What about you?”
The softness in Jessica’s voice made him smile and bit his lower lip, to make sure he wasn’t giving in and kissing her out of nowhere.
“It's just my jacket. You, on the other hand... You’re starting to get dry blood in your hair.”
After this specific remark, she replaced his fingers with hers in her hair and realized he was right. Her nose wrinkled in disgust before looking down at her own body, only now noticing it had not been just her hands that were covered in Nick’s blood, but her pants and tank top.
“Come in, please?”
Jessica asked as he parked in front of her building, and he didn’t hesitate, getting out of the car as well.
“Sure. Vic will enjoy having an evening by herself anyway.”
When a laugh escaped her, he was so glad he managed to do it. She let him in a few minutes later, and before going to the bathroom to take a well deserved shower, she insisted on taking his jacket as well. She pulled it off his shoulders and stared at him, only now realizing how close they were, her heart beating a bit faster than necessary. When Jimmy moved the moment she stopped her movements, her eyes followed his movements, lingering on his body.
“Your shirt is full of blood too.”
He briefly glanced down at his own shirt now and up at her, as she held his jacket in her hands. He started lifting his shirt and stopped in his movements, hesitating because of the feelings he still had and he wasn’t sure neither of them would be able to stop themselves if he started taking clothes off. Their eyes locked, just before he broke eye contact to glance at her lips and he saw her do the same. But, despite how much he wanted it and how much she seemed to want it as well, Jimmy knew it was a bad idea to do so if they didn’t talk first. She must have guessed what he was thinking about - or felt the same way, at least, he hoped so - because she took a little step back as she whispered.
“I might still have a shirt or two of yours.”
“Like my “Medical Examiners Convention 2013” one?”
Jimmy teased after pretending he had to think about it for a few seconds and he noticed the instant blush on her cheeks, making him smile. He bit his lower lip not to torment her more when he saw her nervously run her fingers through her hair.
She was so busted. Jessica had no idea Jimmy was even aware that he was missing this specific shirt. But she had always loved wearing his clothes and she still enjoyed doing it from time to time, even now, two years after their breakup. It brought her some comfort when she needed it and even when she had no specific reason for it. Instead of trying to deny it, knowing Jimmy was well aware she had, in fact, still that shirt; she shrugged.
“I love wearing it.”
“I know. That's why I never asked for it back.”
He finally took his shirt off, giving her to him and the way her eyes dropped to his bare torso didn’t go unnoticed by Jimmy. Jessica didn’t know if it was just her imagination, or just because she missed Jimmy a lot, but it seemed like his abs were even more defined than before and she was glad she was currently holding his shirt and his jacket. There was no way she could have stopped herself from running her hands on his muscles. When she looked up, she met his eyes and she felt heat in her cheeks again when she realized Jimmy had caught her staring, before she focused again on her task, instead of him and his abs.
“I’ll put that in the washing machine and uh… give you a shirt and wash my hair.”
Jimmy bit his tongue not to tease her about her not being able to handle him hanging around half dressed. If things were different, he probably would.
She was quickly back with a shirt. Not the one he had mentioned, and he smiled, guessing she just planned on keeping that one for herself. Not that he minded. She looked so good in it. Jimmy went into the living room when he heard her turn the water on and he waited on the couch, until he straightened up suddenly after receiving a text. He waited until he heard the door of the bathroom open and walked to her right away, surprising her.
“Is everything okay?”
She instantly asked, worried again noticing how he had rushed towards her. Jimmy hadn’t expected to see her only wearing a towel, but he didn’t allow this thought into his brain. That would have to wait.
“Have you checked your phone?”
“Hm… I left it somewhere in the kitchen or the living room. Why?”
Standing next to her, he handed her his phone to show her the latest texts Parker had sent him and Jessica, and he said, incredulously.
“It’s Mateo who shot Nick.”