A/N: Many thanks for all the reviews and alerts. I really appreciate them. Makes the writing all the more fun!

A Little Boy and His Doctor

Chapter 2

Jethro got himself together in the men's room and returned to Michael's room. Dr. Sheppard was talking to him now, showing him how to adjust the bed and turn on the lights and television. She smiled at him when he walked in the room.

"Look daddy, the bed moves up and down," Michael said excitedly. He happily demonstrated his newfound powers.

"That's pretty cool. Just don't fold yourself up in there okay."

Michael looked concerned for a moment then laughed and said, "I won't."

Dr. Sheppard stood up and motioned for Jethro to take her place on the bed. He sat down and Michael settled back against the raised head of the bed. He looked at his father and then at Ducky and finally back to Dr. Sheppard. Michael reached for his father's hand and held on tight. Something in his young mind was telling him his daddy was upset and he was starting to get scared. Jethro saw the familiar look on his son's face and took a deep breath before he launched into his explanation of what was happening.

"Okay buddy you know Dr. Sheppard says you need an operation right? So we're going to spend the night here and tomorrow you will have the operation and then in a couple more days we'll go home. Do you want Dr. Sheppard to explain anything to you?"

"Is it going to hurt?"

"No, it won't hurt a bit."

"Did you ever have any operations?"

"Yes, Dr. Frank has fixed daddy up a few times."

Dr. Sheppard believed in telling children as much as they could understand about their medical condition and what was being done to them. She felt they deserved to be treated with respect just as adults are. Still, Michael was very young and she was cautious about frightening him.

"Would you like me to explain what is going to happen tomorrow, Michael?"

Michael just nodded his head, never taking his eyes off his father. Jethro stood up and moved to the other side of the bed signaling for her to take his place. He watched as she settled herself and began talking to Michael in a quiet, calm voice.

"First thing in the morning, probably about seven o'clock, a nurse will come in and give you some medicine that will help you sleep."

"Won't I already be asleep?"

Everyone laughed including Michael. "Yes, you probably will but this is special medicine called anesthetic and it will make you sleep really good so you don't wake up during the operation. After you get the medicine, some nice nurses will come get you and take you, bed and all, to the operating room."

"By myself?"

"No, daddy will go with you. He can't go in the operating room but he will be waiting right outside the door. When you get there I'll be waiting and we'll do the operation. Do you want to know about that part?"

Again, Michael just nodded. He was holding Dr. Sheppard's hand now and focusing all his attention on her.

"First we'll wash your side with some orange medicine. Then I will take a scalpel which is a super sharp little knife and make a short cut right about here." She lifted Michael's shirt and drew a line with her finger on his abdomen. "I promise it won't hurt. Then I will reach in and take out the thing that's growing in there and after that I'll sew you up and you'll be good as new. Then you will go to another room until you wake up. Daddy will be in there waiting on you and then you will come back here. You might fell kinda yucky for a while but I promise we'll take good care of you and help you feel better."

"And then I can go home?"

Ducky chuckled from across the room. "Just like his father; always ready to go home from the hospital."

"You will have to spend the night tomorrow and we'll see about you going home after that. Any more questions?"

"I guess not. I'm hungry daddy."

"How about you Agent Gibbs, any questions?"

"No. Except, can he have something to eat? We didn't have lunch before we got here and it's getting pretty late."

"Yes, he can have supper. Michael is there anything special you sleep with?"

"Franklin. He's a dog. Not a real dog. A stuffed dog. I have a real dog, Maggie but she doesn't sleep with me. She sleeps with daddy."

Dr. Sheppard smiled at Jethro and was surprised when he actually smiled back. She had been correct; he had a fabulous smile.

"Well, I wonder if maybe daddy would like to go home and get Franklin for you."

"I don't really want to leave him here alone."

"I will be glad to stay with Michael for an hour or so. I think Franklin would be a good idea and maybe you would like to get some things for yourself since I'm sure you'll be here for a couple of days."

"That's not a bad idea, Jethro. I could drive you and then you could come back in your own car."

Jethro looked at Michael who was just sitting quietly on the bed holding Dr. Sheppard's hand. He noticed her thumb absently moving back and forth across Michael's knuckles. "Will you be okay here with Dr. Sheppard while I go home and get Franklin?"

"I guess. Can you bring some books for us to read?"

"Sure, I'll bring your pj's too. I won't be gone long, I promise."

Jethro leaned down and kissed his son on the head. "I love you Michael. I'll be back in a flash."

"Love you too daddy."

Ducky told Michael goodbye and the two men walked out of the room. The ride home was silent until Jethro finally gave in. "Go ahead, Duck. What's on your mind?"

"I just want to tell you to stop worrying but I know you won't. I have a pretty good idea of what's going on in that mind of yours, Jethro and I hate to see you so anxious. I talked to Frank earlier and he is confident Michael will be just fine. He also said Dr. Sheppard is the best he's ever seen with children and an excellent surgeon."

"Michael sure seems to like her."

"Yes, I believe he does. Your son is a very charming little person and he has her wrapped very tightly around his finger already. In case you haven't noticed, she is a very beautiful woman."

"Honestly, I haven't noticed. Well, maybe a little bit but I will be sure to take notice when I get back; just to check out what you're saying."

The two men laughed and continued on in silence. When they reached the house, Ducky tried to make his point again. "Try to relax a little bit Jethro. Michael will be fine. Call me tomorrow as soon as you know something."

"I will. Thanks for everything Duck. Tony is in charge but be sure he calls me if they get a case."

"Of course. Good night Jethro."

"Night Duck."

Jethro hurried into the house and ran upstairs to take a quick shower. Once he was dressed he got Michael's backpack and loaded in some books, Franklin, pajamas, toothbrush and Michael's favorite blanket. Downstairs he fixed himself a sandwich and picked up his own book and headed to the car. He didn't need to pack a bag; his go bag was always in the trunk. He went next door and spoke to Annie's parents telling them what was going on with Michael.

"Tell Annie maybe it was a blessing in disguise that she backed into Michael; otherwise we wouldn't know about this thing and it might have had a chance to turn into something bad. Could you look after Maggie until we get home?"

"Of course. Give Michael a kiss for us and don't worry about anything here. Just take care of our boy. Annie will appreciate what you said, Jethro. Please let us know if you need anything."

"I will, Barbara. Thanks for everything."

While Jethro was getting organized at home, Dr. Sheppard sat with Michael while he had his supper. They talked a little bit about the surgery but Dr. Sheppard didn't want him to stress about it so she steered the conversation in another direction.

"Tell me about your school Michael. What grade are you in?"

"I was in kindergarten but now I'm going to be in first grade. I'm going to be six in June. I bet I get a new bike for my birthday cuz my old bike got runned over today. "

"Yes, I imagine you will need a new bike. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

"No it's just me and daddy. I have daddy's team. They're kinda my aunts and uncles. And Ducky is like my grandpa. My real grandpa lives in Pennsylvania. He has a grocery store and when we go visit I get to work there. I get to put the prices on the stuff and take the money. It's fun."

"It sounds like fun. Will you have a birthday party you think?"

"Sure."

"What's your favorite cake for your birthday?"

"Chocolate. That's daddy's favorite too. Last year I had a sailboat cake. My daddy is building a new boat but we have one already that we go sailing on. Have you ever been sailing?"

"Yes a few times. I like it. Do you get to help with the boat? Sailing it I mean."

"Kind of. Daddy's teaching me but I'm still too little to do most of the stuff. Maybe you could go sailing with us sometime."

Dr. Sheppard didn't respond to that. However, her mind did wander for just a few moments to what Agent Gibbs might look like in shorts and no shirt in the summer sun. It was a pretty nice picture in her mind. To distract herself from too much of that sort of thinking she cleared away the supper tray and gave Michael a quick lesson in taking blood pressure and temperature and let him listen to his heart. He was fascinated with the stethoscope and listened to his own heart for a long time.

"You like to play cards, Michael?"

"Sure. I like Go Fish. I beat daddy almost every time."

Dr. Sheppard took a well used deck of cards from her coat pocket and arranged herself on the bed facing Michael. "Okay, let's see how I do."

Twenty-five minutes later Michael had won three hands to her one. In between games, Michael had told her all about the boat his daddy was building in their basement. She found that very intriguing. He also told her about his dog Maggie, all the people on his dad's team and his friend Emily whose father was his daddy's friend in the FBI. Not one word was said about his mother. She wondered about that but did not ask him about her. He so freely talked about other things she thought he would have mentioned her if it was a topic he was comfortable with. She asked him if he wanted to play one more hand but he said he was tired.

"Could I sit on your lap, Dr. Sheppard?"

"I'd like that Michael. Why don't you call me Dr. Jenny, okay? Let's sit in that comfy chair by the window."

"Okay." Michael snuggled into her lap and rested his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the top of the head.

They were quiet for a while before Michael asked, "Did you have a party on your birthday?"

She wondered why he had gone back to the subject of birthdays but she was used to children asking seemingly random questions at odd times. "No, I didn't."

"How come?"

"Well, when we get older some people don't celebrate their birthdays like you do when you're young."

"Did you have a party when you were six?"

"No, I don't think so."

Michael thought about that for a moment then said, "That's too bad. I like parties; especially birthday parties because there is always cake and ice cream."

"Yes, those are two of my favorite things too. What sort of cake do you want this year?"

"I want a fire truck. I'm going to be a fireman after I'm a Marine."

"Wow, that sounds good. Do you know any firemen?"

"Our neighbor Ben is a fireman. And my daddy was a Marine."

"Well, those are two really great things for a boy to be."

Michael just nodded and snuggled in a little closer. He was getting anxious for his dad to come back but he was also enjoying being with his Doctor Jenny. He liked her a lot. He was sitting in her lap thinking that she smelled good and her hands were nice and soft. Michael knew lots of women; Abby and Kate and his friend's moms but he never sat in their laps or let them hold him. Dr. Jenny was different though. He liked her red hair because it reminded him of his mom's hair in the picture he had in his room.

Michael was about to fall asleep when Jethro arrived back at the room. He stood in the doorway and watched his son cuddling so comfortably with a woman he had only know for a few hours. He took a moment to really look at Dr. Sheppard and he had to agree with Ducky; she was a beautiful woman. She had a great smile and Michael seemed to coax it out of her with ease. The little boy sensed his father in the room and sat up as his father stepped toward them.

"Hi daddy."

"Hey buddy, everything alright?"

"Sure. Dr. Sheppard let me listen to my heart and she took my blood pressure and showed me how to take my temperature and then we played Go Fish."

"He's quite the little card shark. I barely won one hand."

"He beats me regularly. Thank you for staying with him."

"It was my pleasure." She helped Michael stand up and he immediately raised his arms so his daddy could pick him up. "I'll see you in the morning Michael. I want you to get a good nights sleep okay?"

"I will. Thank you for playing cards with me and showing me all the doctor stuff."

"You're welcome. Any questions before I leave?"

Both Gibbs men said no so she left. Jethro sat down on the bed and gave Michael his backpack. The little boy quickly opened it and pulled out his beloved Franklin.

"Why don't you go in and brush your teeth then we can read some stories before you go to sleep."

Without a word Michael hopped down and took his toothbrush and toothpaste into the bathroom. While he was doing that, Jethro changed out of his jeans into some more comfortable sweatpants and a tee shirt. He figured if he was going to spend the night in a chair he might as well be as comfortable as possible.

When Michael came out of the bathroom he pulled on his pajamas and climbed back on the bed. "Will you sit up here with me daddy?"

Jethro raised the head of the bed just a little and sat down taking Michael onto his lap. The little boy laid back against his father's chest and sighed. "Why do I have to be in the hospital when I don't feel sick?"

Jethro squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep, silent breath. He could hear the little tremor in his son's voice and it broke his heart. He hated for Michael to be afraid or upset. "Well, because Dr. Sheppard thinks that thing on your kidney shouldn't be there so she wants to take it out. It will only be for a couple of days I bet. Everything is going to be fine, I promise."

"But what if something happens? Like with mommy?"

Jethro turned Michael around to face him. He took the child's face gently in his big hands and looked him right in the eyes. "Nothing is going to happen. You are going to be fine and come home with me in a couple of days. I promise. Trust me Michael, I wouldn't let Dr. Sheppard operate on you if I thought something bad would happen. Okay?"

"Okay. I might be just a little bit scared but not very much."

"It's okay to be scared. But you trust me Michael, I won't let anything happen to you."

Michael snuggled down in his father's lap. "Could you read me some stories now?"

"Sure."

It took all he had to read the first story with a steady voice. After that he was better but the nagging thread of fear never really went away. Not even when the third story was finished and Michael was sleeping soundly in his lap. Jethro rearranged himself more comfortably on the bed and held the most precious thing in his world securely in his arms. He said many silent prayers that he would be able to keep his promises to his son and take him home in a few days. After what seemed like hours he too drifted off to sleep.

An hour later, before leaving for the night, Dr. Sheppard stopped by Michael's room to see if his father had any questions about tomorrow's surgery. She opened the door quietly and found father and son fast asleep. She silently walked to the bedside, turned off the light over the bed and spread a blanket over the sleeping figures. As she turned to leave a strong hand reached out and caught her wrist. She was a bit startled since she thought Gibbs was asleep.

"Thanks. For everything."

She smiled at him in the dark and patted him on the arm. "You're welcome. See you in the morning."

TBC