Chapter 10
Not long after the incident where Corporal Sean Chambers was kidnapped from NCIS custody and Ziva beaten-up, she and McGee are back at NCIS Headquarters. With the corporal kidnapped, Ziva won't allow her pain to hinder helping the team rescue him.
The team frantically works on trying to locate where the perpetrators may have taken the corporal and whom is behind all of this mystery with the cloning. But the top priority is rescuing the corporal.
Gibbs leaves NCIS Headquarters since he has to pick-up Julianna from school. Minutes before the bell sounding, Gibbs parks the car.
The street is full of vehicles from parents waiting for their children to get out of school. About half of the parents are waiting and chatting with each other along the sidewalk in front of the school. Three school buses are in the parking lot of the school waiting for those students who need to be transported.
The bell finally rings and the parents become anxious to see their children after a long day of work. Less than a minute later, the front doors to the school open and children start rushing out.
Gibbs eagerly looks for a glimpse of Julianna within the crowd of children rushing from the building. All around him, children's face light-up at the sight of their parents. The commotion of the after school scene is something he missed. Finally, Julianna steps out of the building. She quickly looks around for her ride.
Julianna sees Gibbs standing within the crowd of parents and children. Her faces lights up like a Christmas tree. She runs down the stairs with a big smile on her face. Finally, she reaches Gibbs and wraps her arms around him.
"I thought you wouldn't pick me up today."
"What made you think I wouldn't pick you up?"
Julianna backs up and looks up at Gibbs.
"You're in the middle of a case. I thought you would be too busy to pick me up. Maybe send Jamie or someone else to do it."
"Nothing will ever keep me from picking you up from school." Gibbs assured her. "You're more important to me than any case. You come first, Julianna."
A smile stretches across Julianna's face because she knows Gibbs loves her just as much as her own mother did. Julianna places her hand into Gibbs' hand. The two of them walk in the direction of the car.
Upon arriving home, Julianna walks into the kitchen for a quick snack. As for Gibbs, he goes into the basement to think and read more of Shannon's diary.
As Gibbs is sitting next to the boat reading the diary, Julianna walks down into the basement. She sits next to him.
"What are you reading?"
"I'm reading what Shannon wanted me to find underneath the floorboard in the closet."
"Oh…" Julianna said as she figures it's something Gibbs wants privacy with. She moves up a bit as if trying to stand, but Gibbs quickly stops her by gently wrapping his right arm around her. The welcome to stay is appreciated by Julianna as she lays her head against Gibbs and he holds her close. She feels loved in his arm.
Julianna closes her eyes while Gibbs continues reading the diary.
Shannon's diary: entry number sixty-five
Jethro and I are proud parents of a little miracle which I gave birth to a couple days ago. Our daughter's name is Kelly Catherine Gibbs; named after Jethro's sister.
Labor was tough. But our daughter was worth the pain I endured. It was even more worth it to see Jethro's face light-up as much as it did when he saw our Kelly for the very first time. I've never seen him light-up that way before. Then he held her. Jethro couldn't hold his tears back as he looked down at Kelly's little face.
Jethro hasn't let Kelly out of his sight since she was born. His attachment to her is adorable. He'll go nowhere without Kelly and shows her off with such pride to other people. I'm happy the two of us were able to create such a beautiful little girl when every doctor I said wouldn't be able to conceive. Kelly's birth is a miracle that makes us both happy.
Jethro may have lost his sister when she was five-years-old, but I've given him the most precious gift in the entire world; a daughter. Kelly means the world to him; both of them.
The only physical reminder Jethro has about his past life with his sister, is an old raggedy stuff animal she called; Benny the Horse. He gave Benny to our daughter. Kelly immediately took to the stuffed animal, like it was always meant to be hers. She loves Benny the Horse. When the horse isn't next to her, she cries. She feels comfort at the sight of the horse. Kelly's only a week old and already has a favorite toy; a toy her father gave her. Something as simple as a stuffed animal is an object the two of them share a special bond over.
Kelly is only a week old and Jethro is getting way ahead of himself. He's talking about the future a lot. It excites him. The thought of all Kelly's firsts, such as how to ride a bike, taking her to the zoo, going camping and all other firsts are something he's looking forward to. Than of course special events as such Kelly's 16th birthday, high school prom, going off to college, all graduations and eventually walking her down the isle of her wedding. Jethro is overly excited about the thought of all of these things and also the little things like picking her up from school, etc. He doesn't want to miss a single aspect of our daughter's life.
Jethro wants to be the best father he can possibly be. I can tell he's going to be a father who loves his daughter, protects her from harm, is there for her when she needs it and will raise her to be a good person. Jethro only wishes for our daughter to be happy… But most especially, for her to know she's loved.
End diary entry
Gibbs closes the diary after reading the entry. He looks to Julianna and smiles as he realizes why the eight-year-old girl is still alive. Gibbs may have missed fifteen years of his daughter's life, but when Shannon's spirit attached itself to the emotional situation surrounding Julianna's car accident, it was for a reason. Shannon kept Julianna from dying in order to give Gibbs a second chance at all the things he missed while being parted from their own daughter. It's a second chance not only for Gibbs, but also for Julianna.
Gibbs' phone rings. He answers it. On the other line is Tony letting him know they have a possible location of where Corporal Sean Chambers may have been taken.