Chapter Two
Bailey and Josie sat in the back seat of the sedan watching the snow fall outside their windows. Gibbs adjusted his rearview mirror so he could see both kids then looked over at Ziva while he waited for the red light to change.
"I am ok now," she assured him.
Gibbs nodded at her then looked out the windshield. The light snow that had been falling all morning was starting to pile up. Gibbs knew it wouldn't be long before it started causing traffic problems and business closures. As he carefully navigated the streets to Washington General Hospital Josie started singing and doing the hand motions for 'The Wheels on the Bus' in the backseat. Gibbs watched her in the rear view mirror with a smile on his face. He also noticed Bailey growing more and more agitated.
"Stop it Josie!" Bailey finally ordered in a harsh whisper. "You're going to get us in trouble."
"Sorry," Josie whispered back. She reached her arm towards her brother and he held onto her hand.
"Nobody's going to get in trouble guys," Gibbs said.
"I was enjoying your singing," Ziva added. She picked up where Josie left off on her song and the two of them sang the rest of the way to the hospital.
Gibbs checked the twins in at the front desk and they were immediately taken back to an exam room to wait. Gibbs lifted Bailey onto one of the beds in the room and Ziva sat Josie down next to her brother. They removed the jackets the kids were wearing and set them aside. Gibbs noticed the anxiety Bailey was feeling in the car was growing stronger while they waited for the doctor.
"Hey Little Man," he said. He placed his hands on either side of Bailey on the exam table and leaned down so he was at eye level with the little boy. "Are you ok?"
"Will Dad know I came here?" Bailey asked with a shaky voice.
"Your dad's not going to find out you were here," Gibbs said. "You guys are safe now. I'm not going to let anybody hurt you."
The door to the room opened and Gibbs and Ziva turned to see a younger man wearing navy blue scrubs covered by a white doctor's coat enter followed by a young lady wearing bright pink scrubs.
"I'm Dr. Reed and this is Nurse Whitney," the young man said, "and you must be Bailey, Josie and Special Agents Gibbs and David?" Gibbs nodded and the doctor set his clipboard on the counter before moving over to the exam table both children were sitting on. Gibbs and Ziva sat down in the chairs along the wall so they wouldn't be in the way.
"Alright kids," the doctor said looking them over briefly, "I'm going to have Nurse Whitney help you take everything off except your underwear while I get my stuff ready. We should have you guys out of here in no time."
As soon as the nurse tried to take Bailey's shirt off of him he started screaming and kicking everything he could reach, startling everyone in the room. Gibbs hurried between the little boy and the nurse and held onto Bailey so he wouldn't hurt himself or anyone else.
"Calm down Buddy," Gibbs said, his voice calm and soothing. "What's wrong?"
Bailey looked up at Gibbs and shook his head back and forth. "I'm not allowed to tell," he said sternly. "It's a secret."
"Can you whisper the secret in my ear?" Gibbs asked.
Bailey took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly as he looked around at everyone in the room. He looked back to Gibbs and nodded. Gibbs leaned down next to the boy and he cupped his hands around Gibbs' ear. "I don't want any girls to look at my peepee," he whispered very adamantly. "They're not allowed."
Gibbs smiled at how emphatic Bailey was over the issue. "She's not going to see your peepee Buddy. You can keep your underwear on."
"Do you promise?" Bailey asked obviously still worried.
Gibbs nodded his head and when he saw Bailey still wasn't convinced he came up with a compromise he hoped the little boy would agree to. "What if I help you get undressed? Would that be better?"
Bailey quickly nodded his approval with that arrangement and Gibbs moved him down to the floor. Bailey hid behind Gibbs, sneaking quick peaks at the girls to make sure they weren't looking while Gibbs undressed him and the nurse undressed Josie.
"Bailey, can you come over here to this exam table?" the doctor asked patting the other bed in the room. "This can be the boys table." Bailey looked up at Gibbs and when he nodded his approval the little boy covered his underwear clad privates with his good arm and glared at the girls on his way over to the opposite side of the room. Gibbs couldn't help but be amused by his behavior.
Dr. Reed examined both children carefully and thoroughly, documenting all of their injuries in detail. When he was done he sent Nurse Whitney to give Josie a bath and found a male nurse to bathe Bailey while he reported his findings to Gibbs and Ziva.
"Abused?" Gibbs asked already knowing the answer.
Dr. Reed confirmed with a nod of his head, "and quite severely. The abrasions all over their bodies are in various stages of healing which means this has been going on for quite some time. Bailey has bruises on his back in the shape of handprints. That and his skinned knees indicate someone has been pushing him around. He's been whipped with a belt or something similar repeatedly across his butt and there were probably other things done to him that are undetectable. Slapping, tripping, prolonged exposure to heat or cold, sleep deprivation, it's no telling. I would even go out on a limb and say after interacting with him that he's most likely suffered from some long term emotional abuse as well, name calling, humiliation, excessive criticism. My specialty is abused children; I've seen how they act enough that I can usually pick them out of a crowd."
"What about his arm?" Ziva asked.
"His is right wrist is broken," Dr. Reed confirmed. "That in itself is troubling because of the type of break. The only way it could have been caused is by someone taking his arm and twisting it until it snapped. Children's bones are very flexible so whoever did it had to apply a lot of force. The little bit of good news in all that is his growth plate is still intact so he won't need surgery."
Gibbs rubbed his brow as he listened to the doctor's findings. "What about Josie?"
"Josie's injuries aren't as bad as her brother's. She has the same abrasions and bruises as you both saw and the same marks indicating her butt has been whipped. It's no telling what caused the bump on her head. She could have banged it on something herself or someone could have hit her. I can tell by her demeanor that she doesn't appear to have been abused quite as bad as her brother. She's still a happy child, full of life and hope while Bailey comes across more defeated and hopeless. That along with their injuries indicate he took the brunt of it."
"What about sexual abuse?" Gibbs asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"I didn't find any signs of sexual abuse in either of the children," the doctor answered. Gibbs closed his eyes and silently thanked God for the small mercy. "Bailey appears to be very modest when it comes to girls, as you witnessed, but that's not uncommon at his age. Now if you don't have any more questions we'll get a cast on Bailey's arm and then I can discharge you guys before this storm gets much worse and you end up stranded here."
"Thank you Doctor," Ziva said.
When they were done talking to the doctor Gibbs pulled his phone off his belt and called Jenny to fill her in on what was going on then he and Ziva waited patiently in the waiting room for the children. The nurse brought Josie out to them first, clean and dressed in oversized scrubs. Gibbs thanked the nurse and she disappeared into another exam room.
"Do you feel better now?" he asked pulling Josie into his lap.
"I clean now!" the little girl announced proudly.
Gibbs smiled and kissed the top of her head. Ziva searched the waiting room for a children's book or magazine for Josie to look at while they waited. She found a book featuring a handful of Disney princesses and read to the little girl until Bailey was ready to go.
Bailey was brought out wearing a matching pair of scrubs, a blue cast on his right forearm that stopped just below his elbow and a black sling to provide him with a little extra support. The doctor gave Gibbs a prescription for some pain meds and some basic instructions for cast care then sent the group on their way.
"Where we go now?" Josie asked anxiously as Gibbs pulled out of the hospital parking lot onto the main street.
"We're going to go get you guys some lunch and then we're going to go to NCIS where Ziva and I work," Gibbs answered.
"Food!" Josie cheered with a big smile on her face.
The roads were gradually getting worse each time Gibbs ventured out and the snow wasn't showing any signs of letting up. The snow plows seemed to be keeping up for the time being but Gibbs knew it wouldn't be long before the storm won out. On the way to the Navy Yard Gibbs went through the KFC drive through to get the twins some lunch then made the short trek to NCIS.
When they got back to NCIS Ziva headed for the squad room and Gibbs took the kids up to Jenny's office to eat. He situated both kids at the conference table and set their food out in front of them then he and Jenny watched as they devoured their lunch.
"I don't think I've ever seen two kids that hungry before," Jenny said. She came around to the front of her desk and sat in the chair next to Gibbs.
"They're skin and bones," Gibbs said as he watched the kids eat. "You can see every single one of their ribs."
Josie was eating so fast Gibbs was worried she might choke. He headed over to the table, lifted her up and sat down with her in his lap. "Slow down Sweet Pea," he told her. "The food's not going anywhere. I don't want you to choke."
"I wonder when they last ate," Jenny said as she moved over to the table and sat down next to Gibbs.
"I don't know," Gibbs said. He scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and held it out to Josie then looked over at Bailey to make sure he was doing ok. "It's probably been awhile since they've had a decent meal," he said glancing over at Jenny.
Jenny rested her hand on Gibbs' arm knowing that even though he wouldn't admit it, this case was affecting him more than most. The cases involving children took their toll on everybody but after the loss of his wife and daughter Gibbs viewed certain cases differently than other agents. "Have you called Social Services?"
"No," Gibbs said shaking his head. He held out a forkful of green beans and Josie eagerly opened her mouth. "They're in protective custody until this is all over. I'm not taking any chances. They can stay with me."
"You're going to care for two abused three year old children?" Jenny questioned.
Gibbs narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "You don't think I can do it?" he asked.
"That's not what I meant Jethro," Jenny said. "If anyone can do it I'm confident it would be you. I was just wondering if you wanted a little help."
Gibbs softened his glare and let his lips curl up into a small smile. "You offering to play house with me Jen?"
Jenny felt her face start to flush and found herself wondering if Gibbs could read her innermost thoughts. She often thought back to Paris and wondered what things would be like if she hadn't walked out on him. She was proud of her successful career but wondered if it had cost her the opportunity to settle down and have a family of her own, a family with the first man she had truly loved. She nervously twirled her finger through her hair, unsure of what to say or do next.
Gibbs let Jenny squirm for a minute, well aware of the effect he had on her, before speaking. "If you want to help I won't object." He handed Josie another piece of popcorn chicken and smiled over at Jenny.
Jenny breathed a silent sigh of relief as the uncomfortable moment passed and excitement took over. She was looking forward to helping Gibbs care for the twins. She loved children and she loved watching Gibbs interact with children. It was a softer side of him she didn't get to see very often. "I'm guessing since they're wearing scrubs they don't have any clothes," Jenny said.
"They don't have any anything," Gibbs said, "not even a coat." He peeked over at Bailey's plate and saw the boy wasn't eating his vegetables. "Eat a couple green beans for me please, Bailey."
"No coats?" Jenny asked surprised. She turned to look at the snow falling hard outside her window and couldn't imagine going out without a coat. "I'll grab Abby and we'll take them shopping before the storm gets too bad," she said. "That will give you some time to question the Staff Sergeant."
"Are you sure you want to go out in this weather?" Gibbs asked scraping the last of the mashed potatoes onto Josie's spoon. "The roads are starting to get bad."
"We'll be ok," Jenny assured him. "Abby might end up with a long lunch break today but I think I'll be able to smooth things over with her boss," she said with a wink.
Gibbs chuckled as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket and handed them to Jenny. "Here, take my car. That way you don't have to move the booster seats around." He fed Josie the last bite of her green beans then set the fork aside.
"Do you need anything while I'm out?" Jenny asked as she dropped his car keys into her pocket.
"If I give you Bailey's prescription can you get that filled?" Gibbs asked.
"Sure, no problem," Jenny said. "I can drop it off at the pharmacy on the way and pick it up when we're finished shopping."
Gibbs dug the prescription Dr. Reed had given him out of his wallet and handed it to Jenny. He put Josie back in her chair and handed her the box with the last couple pieces of popcorn chicken in it. "I'll call Abs," he said as he pulled his phone off his belt, "fill her in on the game plan and get her up here to meet the twins."
Abby was more than excited to be invited along on the impromptu shopping trip. She quickly grabbed her things and hurried up to the director's office to meet the little ones. Josie was thrilled to meet someone else who promised to give her plenty of love and affection but Bailey continued to be shy and withdrawn. After Gibbs promised him a treat when he returned he reluctantly agreed to go with the girls.
