“I’m worried about you.”
Yeah, well, she was worried too.
“Don’t be,” she said. “I love you, Christopher,” she added, just wanting to hear his voice again. The man always had a way of centering her, even when the whole world was a chaotic mess.
Because he needed her to know it, Chris shared his heart with her.
“You will forever be my whole world,” he said. “I love you more than anyone on this planet.”
Honestly, she didn’t doubt it. If there was one thing she knew for sure, it was how he felt about her.
“I’m going to finish this up, but I wanted you guys to know we’re safe.”
He needed to know.
“You’re not coming home, are you?” he asked, going with his gut. “You’re taking a break?”
She said nothing.
But he did.
“I told you how I felt before,” he stated. “I stand on that, no matter what the outcome is.”
Because he deserved the truth, she shared what was in her heart.
“I’m tired, Christopher. I have nothing left to give anyone. I need…I need something to change. I need to find me again. It’s been so long since I’ve seen that woman. For the first time in my whole life, I have to be selfish and take that deep breath.”
He understood.
What he wanted was that for her.
“Take what you need. I’m here. I’ll always be here. You know that.”
There was no doubt in her mind that if she called him, and told him to run with her, he would. If she told him that she was leaving the FBI, he’d join her.
And that helped.
“Can you not say anything?” she asked. “I know that puts you in a bad position, but I just need someone in my corner. I need a break, Orion, and I don’t know how long of a break it needs to be.”
Oh, well, he had news for her.
“I’m in your corner. You are allowed to have secrets and moments. I’ll protect them for you.”
At his words, she wanted to weep.
What was about to go down was going to be brutal, and so was walking away, but he was right.
She couldn’t go back until she worked through a lot of things. What she needed was a moment to regroup. Now that Kate Natalie was at the helm, the FBI would be in good hands.
Her people would be in good hands with Gene and Callen running the division.
Her family would be safe, and the kids would have their dads to lean on until she could find Elizabeth again. If she couldn’t be whole, she couldn’t take care of her children like they deserved. They needed her strong.
Now, she wasn’t.
She was shattered into a million pieces.
“Kiss the kids for me and tell them Mommy is just taking some time to regroup. I’ll be home when I’m…better.”
