I have to give kudos to Shelbylou and Gossamer Moonglow for their advice/input while writing this chapter. Possible tissue warnings ahead...as well as out of canon...We also have someone new writing to Ducky...
Chapter 5: A question and a nightmare.
Hey Ducky it's me, Tony.
I should probably apologize to Probie for borrowing some paper, but I've learned some things tonight and wanted to talk to you about them. I know that you're gone, but you were always there to listen and I figure you still are; just not in the same capacity. You know what though, that's okay with me, because as long as you're still listening, then that's all that matters.
Ducky, have you ever…did Gibbs ever tell you about wanting to adopt Tim and Sarah? I didn't mean to overhear but he and Tim's dad were talking and I was waiting by the door for them to show up. Once I heard footfalls on the landing I started moving further inside Tim's apartment but then I heard Commander McGee asking Gibbs, "Tell me something…why didn't you adopt Tim and Sarah when you had the chance?"
It totally floored me Ducky. I mean, when would Gibbs have met Tim prior to our meeting in Norfolk? He never even hinted back then that he knew him. Oh, well yeah he did know about him graduating from MIT and Johns Hopkins but still…and the thing is, he still treats me more like a son than he ever did Tim! I just don't understand it Ducky.
I need to go make sure that Sarah and Donny are okay. I'll be right back…
Tony pads over to his son's crib, the one that had been lovingly handmade by Gibbs and watches quietly as Donny sleeps. Tears come to his eyes as he watches Donny sucking on his thumb and he feels the pride swelling in his heart as well as sheer joy that his son is alive and strong.
"I'll make sure that you never doubt my love for you. Between me and your mommy you'll be the best loved little boy this side of the Appalachians."
"He already is Tony and believe me he knows we love him. That's why he toddles over to you and says, Dada when you get home from work."
Sarah slides her arms around his waist and Tony leans back into her embrace. Sarah can feel him trembling and has a feeling that she knows what lies beneath it. She tugs gently on his hand and he follows her back out into the living room where Tony's letter to Ducky is still lying on the coffee table. Tony sighs as he realizes that she'd probably read the letter before coming in to get him.
"I…"
"Shhh…you need to hear a story. This one started a long time ago. Long before Gibbs even knew that Ducky existed. But before we do this understand one thing: Gibbs is not to blame. Not now, and definitely not for what happened almost 20 years ago."
"You're starting to sound like your brother, you know that?"
Sarah sits him down then plunks herself into his lap. Tony's arms close automatically around her and she sighs with contentment. Leaning her head against her husband's chest, she prepares to tell him a story that previously only a very few people knew about.
Earlier that evening:
Gibbs looks down at the ground where his coffee is slowly sinking into the floorboards. He absently picks up his cup and walks over to Tim's door, letting himself inside. Tony and Sarah are conversing in a corner; Tony obviously upset about something. As the Lead Agent of the MCRT had been just slightly in front of John McGee and himself, Gibbs knows that it's all too possible that Tony had heard John's question and was now questioning what he'd overheard.
Tim is still holding Donny; the child had fallen asleep while listening to his uncle tell him a story and Maggie McGee is sitting on the couch next to her husband, silently asking him what is going on.
Gibbs whistles just loud enough to get the adults attention and yet still quiet enough so as not to wake the sleeping child. He motions for Tony and Sarah to come closer and when they do so, Gibbs addresses his next statement to John.
"You asked why I never adopted Tim and Sarah…they were never…I couldn't legally do anything while you or whatever passed as their parents were still alive. As it is, Shannon and I were lucky not to be jailed for impersonating their parents when we saw the accident."
Sarah's intake of breath tells Tony that she knows exactly what Gibbs is talking about while Tim is still looking more than slightly bewildered by the turn of events. Before Gibbs can say more, Sarah stands up and tells Gibbs that she'll explain it to Tony in the privacy of their home.
"Sarah? Tony, what's going on guys?"
"Tim, I'm sorry but you need to hear it from Gibbs; and you need them here too."
"But Tony's family too, he should be here."
"Not at this time Tim; this is between you, Gibbs and our parents."
That's when Tony knows that whatever it is; she doesn't want Donny to possibly misinterpret any of the other adults' actions or reactions. He silently finishes dressing Donny in a warmer sleeper and together the DiNozzos head for home.
Tim stares at the closed door wondering just what the hell is going on. He looks from his parents to Gibbs and finally blurts out, "What is going on here? Why did my sister just shove my brother-in-law out the door? And just when was Gibbs supposed to have adopted us?"
Gibbs sighs and John looks at him, "You never told him?"
"I tried…years ago…but we had a case come up and it took precedent. After that, I…there just never seemed to be an appropriate time."
Tim looks up at Gibbs comprehension starting to dawn in his green eyes. "This is about that case file you showed me; the one just after we saved Maddie Tylor. I came to you about…"
"About a picture that you couldn't remember; three little girls all around the same age; one was Sarah."
"What's going on boss?"
"It's time to remember Tim. I've never forgotten what led me to you; it still haunts me to this very day."
Gibbs closes his eyes as he recalls the nightmare:
It was the green eyes that alerted him to something being wrong. Fear-filled emerald green eyes as they stared in shocked horror at the bus in front of them. A bus filled with school children; a bus that contained his daughter and a white car careening into the bus's side.
"Kelly!"
Gibbs wakes up from the nightmare to find Shannon leaning over him.
"What is it Jethro?"
"Bad dream. I thought I saw Kelly on a bus and a car, out of control, heading straight for her."
"We take her to school every day and pick her up again, remember? Just a dream Gibbs, go back to sleep. There's nothing to fear, Kelly will be fine."
Shannon sighs and runs her hand over his chest before lying back down beside her husband. Gibbs waits until her breathing evens out again then silently slips out of the bed and pads quietly down the hallway to their daughter's room. Seeing the smaller redhead sound asleep does much to quiet the sense of foreboding that had overcome his dreams. What was really disquieting was the fear in a pair of young green eyes that Gibbs has never seen before.
After watching her sleep for another five minutes, Gibbs goes back down the hall and slides back into bed with his sleeping wife. Shannon snuggles up to him and murmurs, "Glad you're home for a few days, I missed you."
They both fall asleep again, and are woken a few hours later by an excited Kelly bouncing on the bed.
"Daddy! You're home! Yay, how long are you staying?"
"For a few weeks sweetheart, then I have to go back. We will have all weekend though to catch up…would you like to go see Grandpa Jack?"
"You mean it? Really? Does this mean I can skip school today?"
"No, it means you go to school like usual and then when school gets out, your Mom and I come get you and we drive to Grandpa's house."
Kelly droops for a second then brightens up again and goes racing back down to her room. Gibbs and Shannon exchange amused smiles and he's leaning down for a kiss when Kelly comes back into the room.
"You could pick me up after our field trip."
Both adults freeze. Gibbs slowly turns to face his daughter and asks
"Field trip? What field trip honey?"
"The one that my class is taking in honor of veteran's day; it's a yearly tradition. Our classes go to Arlington to pay homage to our veterans like you."
Shannon vaguely remembers signing off on a sheet of paper for Kelly's field trip. She exchanges worried glances with her husband who is uncharacteristically pale. Knowing of his dream from the night before, she can only assume that he's playing every known scenario in his head to decide if he needs to pick up their daughter from the cemetery or the school.
Gibbs shakes his head and smiles then ushers the two of them out to his truck. Kelly chatters excitedly about the new girl in her class while Gibbs and Shannon watch the roadways for any possible reasons that a car might try to take out a bus.
Kelly squeals with excitement when she sees a dark haired girl standing by the curb. "There's Sarah now!" she grabs her pack and kisses her parents who smile at the redheaded whirlwind that is their daughter. Her friend and their neighbor Maddie Tylor is there as well as the new girl Sarah.
"Never have to worry about her making friends do we?"
Shannon laughs as they pull away from the school then considers her husband's words. "No, she definitely has a way of pulling people to her."
"Like her mother."
"Like her father when he cares to admit it."
They turn the corner and that's when Gibbs sees it; a white Z-28 camaro. Just like the one in his dream although this one is driving rather slowly. Gibbs lets out a deep breath. The car in his dream had been out of control and this driver was definitely watching his mirrors and the road.
The ride home is equally uneventful. Gibbs helps Shannon get some deep cleaning done and furniture moved around. They even manage a quick trip to the store to get new bedding for Kelly's birthday.
It's on their way out of the store as they head towards Kelly's school that it happens; as if in slow motion Gibbs and Shannon watch in horror as a car racing down the street pulls out in front of another driver. Two police cars are in hot pursuit of the speeding vehicle, but the second driver, the one in a white Camaro, is the one in danger. Gibbs can tell that the driver has lost control of the vehicle and is trying desperately to get it under control.
A school bus full of laughing children pulls out just as the white car starts fishtailing. From their vantage point both Gibbs and Shannon can see the young driver panicking when he sees the newest danger in his path. With a desperate twist of the wheel, and pressure on the gas, the car swerves around the bus and hits a tree.
Gibbs is running before he knows what he's doing. The bus pulls over and the bus driver as well as the teachers on board calms the students down before opening the doors to see what happened.
Shannon slips back inside the store and tells the clerk to call 911, that there's been an accident with possible injuries. Then she races to her husband's side to see if there is any way she can assist him. Gibbs is amazed by the fact that the owner of the vehicle had had the foresight to have an airbag installed. It's possibly the only thing that had kept the kid from being killed instantly. As it is, he knows that the kid might have at least one broken rib, just from the impact.
Shannon looks over at the school bus and is shocked to see that it is indeed the one Kelly is on. Not only Kelly but her friend Maddie and the new girl Sarah are there. Sarah is looking panicked and scared and Shannon has to wonder why. She makes her way to the bus and asks quietly to talk to Ms. Trask.
The teacher comes over and tells her that Sarah won't calm down; that she's saying something about her brother being killed.
"Let me talk to her, please."
Shannon follows the teacher to where Kelly and her friends are sitting. Kelly is holding Sarah as she sobs and looks up at her mother with a mixture of relief and fear. Relief to see a calm voice of authority and fear that Sarah's brother really was killed.
"Hey there, Sarah? My name is Shannon Gibbs, I'm Kelly's mom."
"I…I know who you are Mrs. Gibbs…"
"Good I want to let you know that my husband Jethro is right outside the bus and he's talking to your brother. What's your brother's name?"
"It's Timmy…Tim. he hates being called Timmy."
"Okay, now Sarah, from what I can see, Tim is alive. He might have a broken rib or two but Jethro is talking to him. I can see him through the windows."
"He was coming back to pick me up. He promised Mom and Daddy that he'd take care of me while they were off base this weekend." Sarah starts crying and Shannon picks her up and holds her close while she cries. Shannon strokes Sarah's hair and motions for Kelly to come over. When she does, Shannon whispers,
"Kelly go find your father and bring him here. Sarah needs to know that Tim is going to be okay."
Maddie and Kelly race to the front of the bus and let Ms. Trask know what Shannon had requested. The teacher frowns but agrees to let Kelly go talk to her father. Maddie starts to leave but the teacher holds her back.
"I have both of Kelly's parents here Maddie; I need you to stay on board as you don't have yours present."
"Yes Ms. Trask."
Maddie walks back to where Sarah is and takes up the girl's hand patting it awkwardly in an attempt to comfort her new friend.
"It'll be okay Sarah. Kelly's dad will know what to do. He'll get Tim some help."
Sarah looks at Maddie who smiles and gives her a loose hug. "Gibbs always helps us out Sarah. Never forget that."
Sarah sniffles and Shannon hands her a Kleenex that Maddie pulls out of Kelly's backpack. Sarah smiles a watery smile, "Is Gibbs a boy scout like Timmy? Timmy's always telling me to be prepared. Of course I never am, but Timmy tries to be. He even followed the bus in to school so that he'd know where to pick me up at."
"Sounds like a good Marine tactic. I'm Gibbs and your brother is going to the hospital. He has a broken leg and a concussion; maybe a broken rib or two. Your dad did a good job putting that airbag in; it saved your brother's life."
"Daddy didn't do it; Timmy did. He insisted on it, said that there are too many drivers who lose their lives because of chest injuries."
Gibbs is impressed and Shannon can see the gleam in his eyes when he asks Sarah if she'd like to ride with Tim to the hospital. Sarah looks up with hope in her eyes and nods as she follows him to the ambulance. Shannon can tell that the two siblings have a tight bond despite the distance in years. Shannon looks at Ms. Trask who nods at the nonverbal question; she'll make sure that Kelly and Maddie get home okay. Kelly asks one more question before Shannon leaves, "Can Sarah stay with us if Tim can't go home right away?"
"I'll have to check with your father, as well as Tim but I'm sure we'll have room for her."
Shannon follows the ambulance carrying Tim and Sarah as well as Gibbs. If there is one sorrow that Shannon Gibbs has it's that they never had any children after Kelly was born. Still, her little girl is able to collect friends like butterflies and that's the important thing. Hopefully the two siblings will stay in town for a while longer and Kelly can be the friend that Sarah seems to need. As for Tim, Shannon is afraid that the young man might be in for a rough road considering the injuries that Gibbs mentioned.
In the ambulance, Gibbs is quietly rocking Sarah while she watches the EMT work on her brother.
"Mr. Gibbs? Your daughter fell asleep; sir if you want you can put her down here, beside your son."
Gibbs is startled and starts to reply that the children aren't his when a panicked pair of green eyes opens briefly then closes again. Not quite sure why he does so, he tells the technician that he'll hold Sarah if it's okay.
"Sure, I just wanted you to be aware that she had fallen asleep sir. Strange isn't it; how we can see or hear our loved ones are alive and it allows us to relax. Just like your son did upon hearing his sister is okay."
They reach the hospital and Gibbs is almost flustered by the hospital admission forms when Sarah rouses enough to hand him her backpack. Two files are in there; one for Sarah and the other for Tim. Gibbs silently copies the information from Tim's file and hands the admission forms to the nurse.
"That's a good idea, keeping spare forms where the kids know they are. Not many parents would think of that during a field trip, not even military ones like yourself; it saves time when parents think that far ahead especially if your daughter hadn't had a parent around. We could have at least gotten a start on the forms then called you if we needed more information. Good job all the way around."
Gibbs can feel Sarah trembling and asks the nurse where the nearest bathroom is. Shannon comes in just then and seeing the greenish tint to Sarah's face, hurries her off down the hallway. Gibbs waits until the doctor comes back out then asks the man to give him a few minutes so that the entire family can hear what he has to say.
The doctor blinks but nods his head. He'd seen the closeness and appreciated the fact that the father seemed to want to keep his daughter informed, but he was worried about the effect it might have on the young girl's psyche. Gibbs steps back out and the doctor can tell that the young girl needs to know what her brother's condition is in order to relax.
"I can honestly say that you saved your son's life by making sure that the airbag was installed and not just that but installed properly. Tim has a cracked rib and a minor concussion as well as a broken leg. I am going to recommend that Tim stay overnight but I'm almost certain that he'll be able to go home with you tomorrow. Your field training did you well today, Gunny. I'll trust him in your hands; just give him a few hours to wake up."
Gibbs turns to Sarah who is sagging against Shannon. Gibbs kneels down beside the girl and takes her hands in one of his. "You two are coming home with us, just as soon as your brother wakes up. Why don't you and Shannon go sit with him while I get this paperwork finished so we can get out of here?"
Sarah gives a small smile and lets Shannon escort her down the hall to Tim's room. Then Gibbs turns to the doctor. "Give it to me straight, how bad off is he?"
Sarah looks up at Tony, tears in her eyes. "We…I spent the next two weeks with Gibbs and his family. Tim's injuries were bad enough that the doctors put him in a coma so that he could heal faster. Aside from his broken leg and ribs he did end up with a slight skull fracture and minor whiplash just due to how the car spun when it fishtailed out of control. He also broke his left arm; they said it was instinct, that he was trying to protect his face when he impacted against the tree."
Tony tightens his grip on her, knowing as a former cop just what kind of terror Tim must have faced. Not just one car but three speeding around him, two with flashing lights and sirens. If the kid hadn't had the foresight to put in an airbag…Tony shudders not wanting to think about how Tim could have ended up; or what the trauma could have done to Sarah.
"Gibbs was sent back overseas and Shannon and Kelly went to California to finalize the sale of their home out there and buy some new clothes for school. I wouldn't leave Tim, and so I was given permission to stay with Maddie's family until Shannon and Kelly returned. Then, one day Tim finally came out of his coma."
Tony stares at her, not daring to imagine what happened next. Sarah's next words confirm his worst fear.
"It was the same day that Shannon and Kelly were killed. Don't you see Tony? Gibbs couldn't adopt us. He didn't remember us due to the grief of losing his real family."