AN: I had trouble deciding where this one should end so if it's abrupt sorry. But I think it works as a stand alone. I wrote it in about 15 minutes. The thought just sort of struck me. Any comments are welcome. Enjoy!
It was an unexpected side effect of Paraguay.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs had transitioned surprisingly well to being back home after two months of capture, torture and abuse. He had spoken with the psychiatrist about his feelings more than he had spoken to anyone since Shannon had passed away. Sure he had started locking his door at night but really, it was just safer that way and he should have started doing it years ago.
No. All of the little trials and tribulations of coming home, adjusting to sleeping on something soft, working under Bishop for his first case back, loosening his belt a few notches to get his pants to stay up. All of that was fine.
What caused him the most heartache, was caffeine. Or rather the lack thereof.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs had switched to decaf and it pissed him off. It pissed him off because it was a thrice daily reminder that while he hadn t given the men imprisoning him an inch in nearly two and a half months of captivity that they had taken something from him.
He had ordered his usual from the shop down the street and sat with his back to the outside of the building at a small table shaded by an umbrella and watched the world go by as he took that first, blissful sip of the dark, bitter liquid. It was like mana from heaven as it touched his lips and swirled across his tongue. An involuntary smile graced his face and his eyes slid shut for the briefest of moments.
He had sat there enjoying his cup of coffee for nearly 45 minutes. Unheard of in Gibbs world. Usually he bolted the stuff down. But no, he wanted to savor every last drop. And he had.
An hour later his hand had started shaking. Sitting at the hospital in the doctor s office waiting on his follow-up for medical clearance he had glared at the offending appendage like it was trying to betray him.
Betray him it had. The doctor had walked in and asked him about it. Gibbs had just shrugged unsure of why he suddenly had the shakes. The doctor had taken a deep breath in through his nose and smiled.
"Coffee?"
Gibbs looked up from glaring at his hand for a moment and nodded.
"You haven t had caffeine in nearly three months. The tolerance that you re used to is gone now. Plus you re nearly 30 pounds lighter than you were and you were recently starved. Your body is metabolizing chemicals differently right now. Give it a chance to get back on the right track. Until then stick to decaf."
Gibbs had almost not heard the rest of what the doctor had said clearing him for active duty as long as he continued to show signs of weight gain. It had been like a guillotine coming down on his neck.
Of all the things they could have taken away from him the thing they took was coffee. The small, simple pleasure was lost and he was pissed.