A/N: Again, thank you so much for the alerts and especially the reviews. They are appreciated each and every one.

A Little Boy and His Doctor

Chapter 6

The day of Michael's birthday was sunny and warm. Michael woke up at the crack of dawn and climbed up on his dad's big bed snuggling under the covers with him. Jethro rolled over and wrapped his arm around Michael pulling him close. He couldn't believe his baby boy was six years old. His mind wandered back to the day Michael was born. Jethro remembered it as if it was yesterday. Beth had cleaned house all day while he was at work and when he got home she was sitting in the living room waiting for him. She had simply said it was time to go to the hospital as if they did it every day. The labor had been short and relatively easy and Michael was born just two hours after they arrived at the hospital. Jethro remembered the look on Beth's face when he handed Michael to her. She had been ecstatic and completely in love with the child from that instant on. He was pulled from his reverie by Michael squirming free of his embrace and climbing over to sit on his stomach.

"Good morning daddy."

"Good morning birthday boy. How does it feel to be six?"

"The same as five I guess. Should we get up and get ready?"

Jethro glanced over at the clock. "It's only seven o'clock buddy. We have lots of time."

Michael laid down on his daddy and Jethro wrapped his arms around him. Michael mumbled into his daddy's chest, "Tell me a story about mommy. About when I was a baby."

Jethro rubbed his son's back and kissed the top of his head. This was not a surprise request but it still hurt. They often talked about Beth more around the time of special occasions. Michael had been asking about his mom more in the last couple of weeks as his birthday approached. Jethro was happy to tell him whatever he wanted to know.

After Jethro told Michael about the day he was born and how excited his mom had been, Michael fell asleep on his daddy's chest. Jethro just laid there enjoying holding his little boy and knowing these times would soon be a thing of the past. He hoped they would always be close and trust each other but he knew things would change and Michael would someday not be his little boy anymore. He thought about Beth and how she would have organized a great party for today. He also thought about the other little ones that would have most likely been running around the house by now. Shaking off those grim thoughts he instead focused on the party he was planning and the good time they would have today.

Abby and Kate arrived at eleven o'clock to help get things organized before the party was to start at one. Jethro had the grill going and the pool was blown up and filled with water. Jack and Michael had gone to the grocery store for a few last minute items while Tony and Tim helped their boss set up the extra picnic table and chairs. Abby and Kate had balloons tied all over the yard and a big sign in the front yard proclaiming Michael's Happy 6th Birthday.

By one o'clock everyone was having a great time. The kids were splashing in the pool, the adults were laughing and talking and the party was in full swing. Michael got out of the pool and found Kate refilling the chip bowl.

"What time is it, Kate?"

"It's one fifteen, Michael. Don't worry. Maybe she's just late or had trouble finding the house."

"Okay."

"Did you tell your dad you invited her?"

"No, it's a surprise remember?"

"I know. You go and have fun. I'll call her how's that?"

"Okay."

Michael ran off happily and jumped back in the pool. Kate cornered Abby.

"If she doesn't show up I'm going to hunt her down and kill her myself."

"Yes, and I'll make the body disappear!"

"I told Michael I'd call her. Do you think I should?"

"Do you have a number for her?"

"No, but Gibbs does."

"And what reason are you going to give for asking?"

"McGee can find it."

"Let's give her a few more minutes."

While Abby and Kate were plotting her death and disappearance, Dr. Jenny was parking her car in the street in front of the Gibbs residence. She sat for a moment gathering herself before she got out. She felt very bad about not connecting with Jethro and since he had stopped calling she was unsure about showing up for Michael's party. However, she was invited so she figured Jethro was okay with her being there.

When she walked up to the door she could hear the commotion in the backyard so she didn't expect anyone to answer the door but she knocked anyway. After getting no response she tried the door and found it unlocked so she went in intending to make her way to the backyard through the house.

While Jenny was working up the courage to go in, Jethro was counting heads for hot dogs. When he had taken orders from everyone he went in the house to get the hot dogs and buns. As he closed the fridge and started for the back door he heard someone come in the front door. He thought everyone was already at the party so he was surprised to hear someone walking down his hallway. He stepped out of the kitchen toward the front of the house. To say he was surprised by who he saw would be a gross understatement.

"Jenny? What are you doing here?"

He didn't say it unkindly but still, it wasn't the response she had been expecting. Jenny stopped and looked at him standing there holding two packages of hot dogs and buns. She was holding a brightly wrapped birthday present. They just looked at each other for a few seconds neither sure what to say next.

"I was invited to Michael's party. Didn't you know?"

The smile that spread across his face was a huge relief to Jenny. She relaxed and managed to breathe normally again.

"No, as a matter of fact I didn't, but welcome. If I had known he could get you here I would have had my six year old call you weeks ago. I'm happy to see you, Jen."

"Thank you. I just assumed since I received an invitation you would have known about it. I guess Michael sent it out himself."

"He had help. But he sure kept it a secret from me. Come on. We're all out back. I was just getting ready to throw these on the grill. Follow me."

Jethro turned to lead her to the backyard. When they got to the kitchen he stopped and turned back to her. "I'm really glad to see you Jen. Thanks for coming. Michael will be almost as happy as I am."

Jen actually blushed a bit and gifted him with the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen. "I'm happy to be here, Jethro. It's good to see you again."

They stepped out onto the deck and Jethro pointed to the pool at the back of the yard. "Michael's out there if you want to go say hi while I talk to his co-conspirators."

Jethro put the hot dogs on the grill and turned that responsibility over to Tony and McGee. Then he went in search of Kate and Abby while Jenny made her way to the pool area.

"Kate, Abby, do you two have something to tell me?"

The two young women looked at Gibbs and then at each other. He was trying to glare at them but they noticed that for some reason it wasn't up to his usual standards.

"What do you mean boss?"

"About what Gibbs?"

"So, you want to play it that way huh? Okay. I just have one thing to say to you two." He paused just long enough for them to wonder what was coming next. "Thank you. Very much. I know you must have helped Michael with the invitation to Dr. Sheppard. Thank you."

Abby was grinning from ear to ear and couldn't form a sentence. Kate spoke for them both. "You're welcome. So, she's here?"

"Yes, she just got here. Whose idea was it?"

"It was all Michael's idea. He said you'd be okay with it so I'm glad you are."

At the pool, Jenny watched Michael splashing with his friends and waited until he looked in her direction to call out to him.

"Happy birthday, Michael!"

"Dr. Jenny! I knew you'd come." Michael crawled out of the pool and ran up to her. Before he could wrap his wet self around her, his grandfather intercepted him with a towel.

"Hello, I'm Jack, Michael's grandfather."

"I'm Dr. Jenny Sheppard. It's nice to meet you."

Michael dried himself off a little then gave Jenny a hug. "She's the one who operated on me, grandpa. She's really nice and daddy and I like her so I asked her to come to the party and she did."

"Thank you for inviting me Michael. It looks like you're having a nice party."

"Did you see my dad?"

"Yes, I saw him in the house when I got here."

"Was he surprised?"

Just then Jethro appeared behind Michael and scooped him into his arms and over his shoulder. "Yes, daddy was very surprised. It was a nice surprise Michael. But next time, you need to ask me, okay?"

"Okay." Michael was laughing and squirming so Jethro set him down.

"Go tell the other kids to get out of the pool. We're going to eat in a few minutes."

"Okay, daddy."

Jack spoke up, "So you're the famous Dr. Jenny I've been hearing so much about. I'm happy to meet you, Doctor."

"Call me Jenny please. I'm happy to be here. Your grandson is quite a charming little boy. And very smart too."

"Yes, he's all that and more. I think I'll go supervise the evacuation of the pool."

Jethro stood there grinning at her making her very self-conscious. Finally she couldn't stand it anymore.

"I wasn't sure about coming since we've had such trouble connecting and you've stopped calling."

"I admit I had given up. I'm really glad you're here."

"Me too. Now, stop looking at me like that and let's go join the party."

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly and when people started to leave for home Jethro was sorry the party had to end. Michael had a wonderful time of course and was a good host to his friends. He did get his new bike and goggles and flippers. Jenny gave him a really nice storybook about a little boy who sailed around the world. By the time the presents were opened and the cake and ice cream eaten everyone was worn out.

Tony and Tim helped Kate and Abby do most of the cleanup while Jethro and Michael thanked all their guests and collected the wet towels and pool toys. Jethro had come back from taking the last of the trash to the trash can when his team met him at the door and said their goodbyes. Michael was nowhere to be seen and neither was Jenny. He hoped she hadn't left already.

"Thanks for all your help guys. Have you seen Michael?"

Abby gave him a hug and they all started for the door. "I think he took Jenny down to see the boat."

"Okay. See you guys on Monday. Thanks again."

Jethro stood on the landing and watched as Michael showed Jenny the boat. Michael explained about the proper way to sand and showed her his daddy's tools. Jethro could tell Michael was very smitten with his doctor. He had never seen his son so at ease with anyone who wasn't part of his team or a long time family friend like Fornell. It made Jethro consider his intentions toward Jenny. He knew he liked her and wanted to get to know her better but he also knew he had to consider the impact of the relationship on Michael. Especially if things didn't work out between himself and the good doctor. So, he wondered was it worth the risk?

Jack came and stood in the doorway with Jethro. He watched Michael and Jenny for a minute then said, "She's a beautiful lady."

"Yeah, she is."

"You going down there or just looking?"

"Looking and wondering."

"About?"

"Whether I should go down there and interrupt my son and his doctor. Wondering if I should get involved with her."

"Well, why wouldn't you. She's beautiful. Seems smart and fun and Michael sure likes her."

Jethro turned around and stepped back into the kitchen. Jack followed. "Yes, he does like her. What if we start seeing each other and things don't work out? How is that going to affect him? I don't want him to get hurt. You see what I mean?"

"I do. Son, you just have to be honest with him from the start. Let him know you're just friends and nothing more. Until there is something more. Even then you don't tell him anything different. He's six. He has lots of distractions in his life that will take his mind off Dr. Sheppard pretty quickly. You need to think about yourself once in a while. If you want to ask this lady out go ahead and do it. Michael doesn't even have to know about it."

"You sure got smart in your old age."

"Glad you noticed. Now go on down there and send my grandson up. We'll go try out his new bike while you get better acquainted with the lady doc."

Jethro did just that.

"Michael, grandpa said he'd take you out to ride your bike. Why don't you go show him how good you are."

"I was showing Dr. Jenny the boat."

"I know. Why don't you let me do that and you go spend some time with grandpa. He has to go home tomorrow."

"Okay." Michael started for the stairs then turned around. "Thank you for my book. I really like it."

"You're welcome Michael. Happy birthday."

When they were alone Jethro wasn't sure what to say. Luckily, Jenny had lots of questions about the boat so they fell into an easy conversation about that. Of course the only question she really wanted answered was the inevitable, how do you get it out of the basement question and of course there was no answer for that one.

"Sorry, that's classified, top secret, need-to-know."

"I see. Well I guess I'll have to see if I can get Michael to tell me."

Jethro stepped in front of her and rested his hands on her hips. He smiled at her and said, "Michael doesn't know. I haven't finished one since he was born." He stepped a little closer and leaned into her just a bit more.

"I see. Well, I'll just have to think about how to persuade you." Jenny's hands came up to rest on his biceps. She was definitely enjoying the closeness Jethro was creating. She took a step back to compensate for his forward motion and found herself pinned against the hull of the boat.

Jethro leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth. When she wrapped her arms around him he kissed her again. It started out as just a kiss but soon it was a lot more than that. Jenny shifted against him and pulled him impossibly closer. Jethro deepened the kiss and she welcomed his tongue into her mouth. Eventually they had to breathe but they parted only enough to allow air to flow between them. Jethro slid his mouth down her throat and tasted the point where her shoulder met her neck. Then he was back for another breath stealing kiss.

Jenny ran her hand up under his tee shirt reveling in the feel of his warm skin. Jethro returned the favor by sneaking his hands under her shirt. He was almost desperate to taste more of her, to touch every inch of her. He wanted her in a way he hadn't wanted a woman in a very long time. In the middle of another very urgent kiss his hands found their way to her butt and pulled her tight against his arousal. He moaned in her mouth when she rubbed against him. Jethro felt himself losing control and suddenly he stopped.

When he pulled back from the kiss, Jenny was surprised. She was very aware of the effect their activities were having on Jethro; they were having the same effect on her. She wanted to take it to the next level even if they were in the basement. Jethro rested his forehead on hers and they both took a moment to catch their breath.

"I'm sorry. I need to stop."

Jenny was unsure what had happened. "Okay. No problem. I should probably be going anyway."

"No, please don't go. Let me explain." Jethro brushed her hair back from her face and gently ran his thumb over her lips. It took all his self control not to kiss her again.

"I think you can tell I want you, Jenny. I just need to slow down. I don't want it to be this way for us. I want more than some quick sex in the basement. I want to spend time with you, know all about you and some day, soon I hope, make love to you the right way."

That definitely surprised and pleased Jenny. She looked into his deep blue eyes and knew she was in trouble. She wanted this man there was no doubt about it. She wanted to see him a lot and spend lots of time with him and then have wonderful sex with him.

"I can see all that happening. I like you Jethro, I hope that's clear to you. I would love to spend some time getting to know you and just being with you. As long as we don't put off the good stuff too long!"

"Amen to that. Thanks for understanding. I'm pretty much out of practice with the whole dating thing so I hope you can be patient with me. You're not the kind of person I can have a casual thing with. That's not what I want anyway. In fact, until I met you I didn't know I wanted any kind of thing. I was pretty content with being alone and raising my son until you showed up. Now I'm a long way from content and it's all your fault."

Before Jenny could respond, Jethro had his hands all tangled in her beautiful red hair and was kissing her senseless. He just couldn't help himself, she was a great kisser and he loved the feel of her body pressed against his.

When they finally broke the kiss, Jenny lightly punched him on the arm and exclaimed, "Whoa, now. If we're going to slow down you can't be doing that all the time!"

"Just couldn't help myself."

"Me either. I really do need to get going. I have patients I need to check on this evening. I had a wonderful time today, Jethro."

"Can I see you tomorrow? Dinner maybe?"

"Yes, I can do dinner tomorrow. Pick me up at seven."

Jethro walked her to her car. Michael and Jack were coming down the sidewalk toward the house so they waited for them. Michael sped up and rode up to Jenny's car.

"This is a good bike daddy. It's fast."

"I'm glad you like it. Tell Dr. Jenny goodbye. She has to go to work."

Michael got off his bike and gave Jenny a hug. "Bye. Thanks for coming to my party."

"Thank you for inviting me Michael. It was the nicest thing that's happened to me in a while." Turning to Jack, Jenny extended her hand and smiled at him. "It was wonderful to meet you Jack. I hope I see you again."

"Same here. Anytime you want to get away from all the busyness of the city just come visit me in Pennsylvania."

"I just might do that sometime." She hugged Jethro goodbye and got in her car. Jethro leaned in and whispered to her that he would see her tomorrow night.

TBC