A/N Hello Readers...hope you are still enjoying this NCIS universe...my updates are slow but I'm still plugging away at the story.

Hope you enjoy!

God bless,

Jenny Wrens

Gibbs sat in the hospital waiting room with his head in his hands. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there. The Medics had arrived at NCIS before Ducky and whisked Aimee out of his hands. He couldn't fault them for their brusqueness. He's been on the scene of many emergencies and as much as first responders wanted to be kind and reassuring, there just wasn't a whole lot of time to mollycoddle people. Gibbs knew that. He had gained a whole new perspective on things throughout this. He'd be different as an agent from now on. Or at least he hoped so. He understood that people needed hope. It wasn't that he didn't know that before, but he'd allowed himself to grow hard. Time had a way of doing that to a person. Time and distance. Now with the shoe on the other foot, he wanted reassurances too, and maybe a little bit of compassion. He hadn't been afforded that. So he was left to his own devices, and that was never good. The only words that kept ringing in his head were ones Palmer had once said at a crime scene. "They're not dead until they're warm and dead." Aimee had been cold. Very cold. And as much as he told himself that she was warming up, he knew her condition was serious.

He raked his trembling fingers through his hair, trying to keep himself calm. Lydia Parker had managed to berate him over the phone for his less than stellar parenting skills. The hospital had been obligated to contact social services because Aimee was still considered a ward of the court. Gibbs felt like a beaten old hound dog. Being that she was Aimee's social worker and he hadn't fully finished the adoption process, Miss Parker still had her big nose stuck in his business. She was sure to get in some very hurtful words and made it known that she would be reporting him to the governing authorities. She'd also warned him that this incident could affect the adoption. His own second thoughts were already ringing loudly in his own head. He didn't need her reminding him what a failure he was as a parent. Maybe he didn't have what it took to be a parent after all. He couldn't seem to handle Aimee, and it could have cost her life. Perhaps he'd been wrong in thinking he could be a good father and a good agent. Maybe he couldn't be both. At the moment he didn't feel he was either.

"Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs felt himself startle when a voice said his name. He had been so lost in his own thoughts and misery that he had virtually tuned out his surroundings. He looked up to see a doctor standing over him with a kind and sympathetic expression on his face. Gibbs jumped to his feet, anxiety wreaking havoc with his gut.

"How's she doing?"

The young, dark haired man offered a gentle smile, reached out and patted Gibbs on the shoulder kindly.

"She's going to be fine, sir. She's quite the kid. A real fighter."

Gibbs smiled in spite of the turbulent emotions running rampant within him. The doctor had no idea what a fighter Aimee was.

"Please, sit down, Agent Gibbs," said the man as he held out his hand to encourage Gibbs to sit down.

Gibbs obliged but remained on the edge of his seat. He took a moment to glance at the man's name badge thinking the younger man reminded him a lot of Tim, only with a whole lot more confidence in himself.

The doctor sat down and unbuttoned his white lab coat. He scrubbed his hand across his face looking every bit as weary as Gibbs felt.

"It's been a long night…" the man explained.

Gibbs nodded realising that the sitting down had been more for the doctor's benefit than his. The younger man looked well and truly exhausted.

"Do you have any idea how long she was locked in that freezer?"

"I can't answer that, Doctor McTaggart…" He couldn't even begin to speculate how long.

"Please, call me Tyler."

There was something about the man that radiated comfort, and Gibbs wasn't too proud in those moments to embrace it. He would have showered in it if he could. The guilt felt like it was drowning him.

Gibbs nodded and continued, "The power was fluctuating. We had a system overload, I guess you could say." Gibbs hesitated. It was too complicated to explain and confidential anyway. "The morgue drawers were malfunctioning, but I guess they were repaired and back online much faster than any of us realised."

Dr. McTaggart nodded. "I see. Well, we managed to slowly warm her blood and bladder. She is responding well. She's a brave kid! It's been awhile since I've seen a kid bounce back as quickly as she has. I think we all got lucky on this one."

Gibbs felt relief wash over his entire body at the words.

"I wanted to commend you on your quick thinking, Agent Gibbs. For all intents and purposes, you saved her life. Getting yourself skin to skin with her stopped the hypothermia in its tracks. You did everything right!"

Gibbs nodded, not accepting the praise. He had been in the marines for years. He was no stranger to hypothermia, but there was no way the doctor would have known that. As far as Gibbs saw it, Aimee's condition was solely his fault and he knew it. No amount of praise would change that fact. She wouldn't have been in this position if he'd taken the time to talk with her instead of losing his cool. He should have kept a better eye on her.

"Is she conscious? Can I see her?"

Dr. McTaggart nodded. "Yes, she's conscious; we're still warming her with IV fluids and she's sipping at some warm soup as well. You most certainly can see her, but she wanted me to make you promise not to be mad at her. Apparently, since I'm a doctor, you have to listen to me. It's like some kind of dad law or something." The man grinned and winked at Gibbs.

Gibbs felt a smile pull at his lips. It sounded like something Aimee would say.

"I'm not mad at her." Gibbs rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm too mad at myself to be upset with her. She scared me to death. When I pulled that drawer open and found her unconscious, I think I lost about twenty years off my life."

Dr. McTaggart nodded his understanding. "I can only imagine. Don't be too hard on yourself, Agent Gibbs. Being a parent doesn't make you omniscient. Kids do dumb things. I think it's just part of their DNA." The man chuckled softly. "Trust me; I've treated kids in here for things that would make your head spin. Aimee locking herself in a morgue drawer wasn't your fault."

Gibbs shook his head, feeling tears prick at the back of his eyes. "Thank-you." He didn't believe the words but there was no point in discussing it any further.

"I treated a three-year-old this morning whose mother broke her arm."

Gibbs' eyes widened in alarm, his stomach churning at the thought.

Dr. McTaggart raised a hand expecting the unease. "It's not what you think. The child went climbing on the sofa at the same time as her mother and the woman sat on the little girl's arm. Snapped it like a match stick."

Gibbs winced and released a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding.

"Another child I treated this evening had stuck orange pepper pieces up his nose and yet another stuffed beads in his ears. I've stitched up fingers, heads, and mouths from other childish accidents. Stuff happens, sir, and no one is to blame. That's why they're called accidents."

Gibbs pinched his nose. "I should have kept a better eye on her…" Gibbs shook his head in defeat, not even believing that he was rambling to a complete stranger about his inner most thoughts. But, hell, didn't he deserve to have someone to talk to too?

Dr. McTaggart sat up further and smiled. "Parents all over the world say the same thing. A child drowns and they say they should have watched closer. A child runs across the road and is struck by a car and another runs between two parked cars. Children are unpredictable and spontaneous. All you can do is your best and the rest of the time, pray, Agent Gibbs; pray they make it safely to adulthood." The doctor rose to his feet. "Are you a praying sort?"

Gibbs stood to his feet as well. "Nope, never been my thing. I'm more of a self-reliant kind of man."

The doctor stared at him as if deciding if he would continue or not. "I used to be too. I'm married with two little girls and now, I pray. A lot."

Gibbs lowered his head and chuckled. He could definitely see himself praying a lot more in the future as well. He'd forgotten how much of life was out of his hands. He was used to being a man in control, but it was different when it was just him to worry about. Of course, he did worry about his team incessantly, but that also was different; they were grown adults. "All we can do is our best." Dr. McTaggart smiled again and patted Gibbs on the shoulder. "Go see your daughter. She's in room 134. I'm sure she'll be as glad to see you as you are to see her."

Gibbs returned the smile and watched as the man walked away.

Rubbing his hand across his mouth, Gibbs forced himself to take a deep breath. He felt like he'd survived some kind of tumultuous storm. His emotions were all over the place. He was filled with relief and dread at the same time. He didn't even know what he was going to say to Aimee.

—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—NCIS—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—

Abby was very quiet as they drove towards the hospital. No one had heard much of anything in a way of updates about Aimee or Tim. Abby didn't like to think of herself as a worrywart but she knew she was. She couldn't help it. If she allowed herself to dwell on things, she could worry herself into a migraine headache. Her head was already pounding because of the lack of caffeine. It was almost midnight and her reserves were completely depleted. She was approaching a crash which wasn't good for anyone around her. It meant she'd either be an emotional basket case or rip everyone's faces off. Generally, though, if she chose to work late at NCIS, she was careful to manage her caffeine intake. She'd been a forensic scientist for a long time and caffeine was how she survived.

"How ya doing, Abbs?"

Abby chewed her bottom lip and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know how to answer that question. She felt a warm hand pat her knee.

"You're shaking. Are you cold?" Tony reached out and flicked on the heat in the car. Abby didn't feel cold. She didn't feel much of anything.

"You sure that guy didn't hurt you, Abbs? You're awfully quiet and it's not like you. Something you're not telling me?" Tony's voice sounded concerned.

Abby shook her head but remained quiet. She didn't feel like she could talk without breaking down, and she didn't want to lose it just yet. She needed to stay strong for Gibbs.

Tony kept driving in the darkness. Abby could see him looking at her from the corner of his eye. He was worried about her. Tony was like her big brother, and she knew he didn't like it when she was quiet. Abby was rarely quiet.

Forcing herself to speak, Abby took a deep breath. "Where's Director Shepard and Ziva?" Abby pinched herself to keep from crying.

"Jenny had some loose ends to tie up, and Ziva decided to keep her company." He glanced at her briefly as he drove. "C'mon, Abbs, answer me. That guy didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, I'm fine, Tony." Her voice wavered making Tony's name sound all warbled.

"Tell me what happened in there!"

"Nothing! Fred was in my territory, Tony. I can take care of myself." Abby snapped at him crossly.

Tony sighed. "I get that, Abbs. I do. No one's saying you can't take care of yourself…" he hesitated like he wanted to say something else but instead said, "I'm worried about you, little sister. Something is off with you, and I can't quite place my finger on why."

Abby felt her temper bubble up inside her. "I was just held hostage by some psycho, Tony. What did you expect? Sunshine and roses?"

Tony reached out and patted her knee again. "Tim is fine, Abby."

Abby's jaw dropped. How did he know her so well? "How do you know that?" She shouted.

"He texted me earlier. Said he was being held for observation but there was nothing to worry about."

Abby closed her eyes and choked back a strangled sob. She had been worried about Tim, probably more than she realised or cared to admit. She sucked at keeping things from Tony.

"No one tells me anything," Abby mumbled as tears ran down her cheeks. She huffed and bit her lip to keep from losing it completely.

"I'm sorry, Abby. I would have told you…"

"I know. It's not that."

"Then what?" prompted Tony, resting his hand on her knee again for comfort.

Abby wiped the mutinous tears from her face. "I'm just tired, Tony. That's all. Are we almost there?"

It was a silly question; she could see as well as he could where they were on the journey. She just didn't want to talk anymore. She heard Tony sigh in the darkness and then noticed he was pulling the car to the curb.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed, starting to feel panicked. "We have to get to the hospital to find out about Aimee. Gibbs needs us!"

Tony reached forward and flicked on the dome lights so their eyes met. "Gibbs can take care of himself too, Abbs. Right now, I'm worried about you."

Abby's mouth dropped open. She did not have the energy to keep holding her emotions in check. Tony was going to be one sorry dude if he kept pushing this line of conversation.

"Tony, now is not the time for this. We need to be with Gibbs!" She crossed her arms defiantly and puffed out her cheeks.

Tony chuckled. "You sound like Aimee."

Abby wasn't in the mood for Tony teasing her. Not today. Not after everything that had happened. Not the way she was feeling: vulnerable and forgotten. Forgetting about trying to keep her emotions under control, Abby put her head into her hands and sobbed. It was probably out of character for her but at this point, she no longer cared. Sobbing was the release she needed. Her throat was burning from trying to hold the tears back. The pressure in her head and chest was reaching epic proportions; she needed the release and crying was better than yelling.

The smile faded from Tony's face. "Hey, Abbs, I'm sorry." Abby could hear the remorse in his voice but it was too little, too late. She was falling off the cliff of her emotions with no turning back.

"Hey, what's going on?" He pulled her into a warm embrace while she sobbed. "Talk to me," he prodded. "That creep hurt you more than you're telling me, didn't he?"

Abby sniffled and tried to gain her composure enough to speak. Sure, she'd been frightened when Rinnert held her captive but not to the point of losing control. It never crossed her mind that he'd really harm her. He never seemed violent to her. And the whole time in her lab, she knew she had the upper hand. There was no way he could have predicted the things she could do. She always joked with people that she was the only one who could kill them and leave no forensic evidence behind. When it came to her lab, Abby had the advantage.

"H-he didn't hurt me, Tony," she managed through her tears. "I can t-take care of m-myself!"

Tony pulled her closer and she snuggled in, trying to gain her composure. Sobs still wracked her small frame though, much to her chagrin.

"Yah, I know you can," he whispered softly into her ear. "But it still would have been nice to have someone come to your rescue, wouldn't it? Especially a certain someone with silver hair and that oh so grumpy demeanor we know and love."

Abby stiffened a little. She hadn't wanted to admit it even to herself, but Tony had hit the nail on the head. She had wanted Gibbs to come to her rescue. She'd wanted him to know instinctively that she was in trouble and come running like he always did. But he didn't. And not because she needed him—because she could take care of herself-but because he just knew she was in trouble. But he hadn't come. He'd been distracted and less in tune with her.

"Gibbs needed to help Aimee," protested Abby trying to pull away from Tony, feeling angry with him that he knew her so well and embarrassed and angry with herself for feeling the way she did. She was intelligent enough to know her feelings were ridiculous.

Tony held her tightly not letting her pull away.

"He loves you, Abby. That hasn't changed, you know."

Abby licked her lips and allowed the tears to flow freely. "I know he does. Nothing is the same anymore, Tony."

Tony rested his chin on Abby's dark hair. "No, things are different; that is true enough, but different doesn't mean bad, Abbs. It just means adjusting. Gibbs still loves you just like he always has. That will never change."

Abby sniffled and nodded. She was trying hard to believe Tony but she just wasn't sure. All she knew is she felt alone.

—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—NCIS—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—ooOOoo—

Gibbs peeked in the window of Aimee's room. The blond haired little girl was sitting up, wrapped in numerous blankets with her small hands wrapped snuggly around a ceramic mug. A nurse was in the room checking the various tubes that were attached to her. Gibbs had to force himself to breathe deeply when he saw her pale face. Aimee was alive and awake. He had a lot to be thankful for. Her mischievous laughter echoed in the room as the nurse spoke softly to her. Aimee's little face broke into an easy grin when Gibbs entered the room and she saw him. Gibbs felt his heart flutter nervously in his chest.

"Gibbs!"

"Hey, Aims!" He heard the warble in his voice as he spoke.

"Gibbs!" She repeated, her grin growing bigger as he approached her side. "This is Nurse Evans. She can do ventra…vantrilly…" She looked at the nurse, "What did you call it again?"

The auburn haired nurse smiled. "Ventriloquism."

"Yah, what she said. Do you know what that is, Gibbs?"

Gibbs sat on the edge of her bed and stroked her head lovingly. "Yup."

"The IV pole talked to me." She pointed to the pole in awe." Nurse Evans tricked me!" Aimee laughed again. "Show my dad how you did that!"

Gibbs felt his heart skip a beat over how easily the words "my dad" slipped from Aimee's lips. She didn't even bat an eyelash when she said it.

The nurse laughed as the IV pole began 'talking' to them about what it was doing. Gibbs smiled as he watched Aimee eat up the show. Her eyes were lit up with excitement. Gibbs felt a tremor of relief wash over him again. No matter what else happened, he was never going to forget what he felt like in this moment. He thought he'd lost another child, and it had almost destroyed him completely.

"Now, Aimee," said Nurse Evans, kindly, "I need to check in on some of my other patients. Have fun with your daddy, honey." With those words, the nurse vacated the room.

Gibbs put his arm around Aimee and she leaned into him. He embraced her, kissing her on top of her head.

"How ya feeling, kiddo?"

"Cold," she said.

Gibbs saw her shiver again. He reached out to feel the temperature of her drink, and it was still warm.

"Keep drinking that soup."

She nodded and sipped at it suddenly becoming sullen and quiet.

"Need another blanket? Your hands still feel so cold." He rubbed the back of her hands being careful not to upset her drink.

She shook her head but didn't look at him. He pulled her closer to him wanting to hold her forever. He rubbed her back soothingly. "You scared me, Aimee…"

"M'sorry," she muttered softly.

Gibbs looked down at her and could see tears running down her cheeks. "Don't cry, sweetie…"

Aimee shivered again and swiped at her cheek. "My tears feel like they're burning my cheeks!" Her voice sounded frightened.

Gibbs took the cup from her hands, setting it on the side table and pulled her onto his lap wrapping his arms around her being mindful not to upset any tubes in her arms. "It's okay, Aimee. You're just really cold, and your body is doing what it can to warm you up." He hugged her close and pulled up the blankets.

"You mad at me, Gibbs?"

The million dollar question he'd been expecting since he'd talked to Dr. McTaggart. He knew she'd ask him, and she was expecting an answer. The only trouble was he was too relieved to be angry with her, and he was too busy being mad at his own self to be able to think straight about much of anything.

"Nope."

Aimee craned her head around to look up at his face. "Really? Honest and for real you're not?" Tears still tumbled down her cheeks but her eyes looked hopeful.

"Honest and for real I'm not mad."

He felt her slump in his arms and exhale a long breath. "I thought you were gonna kill me." Gibbs bit back a smirk as she stressed the word kill. "I really am sorry, Gibbs. Honest, I am. I promise I didn't play in that ole drawer either. I just went back to get my kn…" She suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth as her eyes grew big.

"My knife?" He finished for her. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, tossing it onto the blanket in front of them. "Is that it?"

"Uh oh," she said leaning her head against his chest and closing her eyes. "Now you're gonna spank me for sure, aren't ya?"

Gibbs sighed. He really didn't want to get into the nitty gritty details of everything when the kid had barely recovered from hypothermia, but he also didn't want to leave her hanging either. Both weren't fair to her.

"How about you tell me why you took my knife in the first place?" He was kicking himself for not confronting her on this before when he first realised it was missing. He just hadn't thought it was a big deal. He still didn't. Not really. Aimee was overall a pretty mature kid, and he probably would've given her one, had she just asked him.

He felt her shrug under his embrace. "Aimee, you know a shrug isn't an answer."

"I just wanted it." Her voice was bordering on a whine now. Her body tensed up in his arms, and Gibbs took a deep breath, not wanting to push things with Aimee. The last thing he wanted right now was an altercation with the little girl.

He patted her arm lightly. "Okay. Let's just forget this for now. I just want you to know that I'm not mad, okay?"

"So, you're not gonna spank me?"

Gibbs sighed. She wasn't going to let it go. He gently turned her sideways so he was pretty much cradling her in his arms. He wanted to see her face and he wanted her to see his.

"I owe you an apology, kiddo."

Aimee blinked. "Me?" The look of surprise on her face could not be mistaken.

"Yes, you. I shouldn't have spanked you in Autopsy. It was wrong, and I'm sorry. You scared me, and I reacted out of being scared. I should have calmed down and talked with you. I think we both could have spared ourselves a lot of trouble had we just talked about what happened."

Aimee sucked on her bottom lip. "I was just playing a trick on Jimmy."

"I know that. You and me need to have a talk about boundaries at NCIS, but not now and not today. You need to rest and warm up so you can come home. So, what do you say? Do you forgive your ole dad?"

Aimee nodded and grinned. "Can I call you that?"

Gibbs felt his face flush and his heart rate increase. "Call me what?"

"Dad…er, I mean, if you still want me."

Gibbs felt tears burn the back of his eyes. "Aimee, of course, I still want you. I will still want you and love no matter what you do—good or bad—that will never EVER change." Gibbs swallowed before he continued speaking, "And I would be honoured if you wanted to call me dad." Tears swam in his eyes and he had to try very hard to blink them back.

"I want to." The little girl shivered again and yawned.

"Sleepy?"

Aimee nodded as she snuggled her head against his arm. She felt so much warmer in his arms than she had earlier that day. He watched as her eyes fluttered and closed.

"I love you, daddy," she said ever so softly.

Gibbs kissed the top of her head gently as she dozed off. "I love you too, Aims."