Chapter Twelve
Bailey started to wake up shortly after 2:00 on Thursday afternoon. Gibbs opened his eyes when he felt the little boy moving around and rested a hand on Bailey's stomach. Bailey latched onto Gibbs' finger while he looked around the room then over at Josie and up at Gibbs.
"Did you have a nice nap?" Gibbs asked quietly.
Bailey nodded his head and smiled up at Gibbs. "Are we at home?"
"Uh-huh," Gibbs said before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the little boy's forehead. Bailey cuddled himself closer to Gibbs and rested his head on the older man's chest. "Are you cold?" Gibbs asked as he pulled the blanket around Bailey.
"No," Bailey said, "I just want to sit close to you." Gibbs smiled and held Bailey tighter to him. "Yah," Bailey said, "like that."
With Bailey cuddled contently into his side, Gibbs decided it was time to start waking Josie up. He ran his hand soothingly through her hair then started rubbing her back.
"Hi, Baby Girl," he said when Josie opened her eyes.
"Did your nap make you all better, Josie?" Bailey asked hopefully.
Josie pushed herself into an upright position and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Gibbs eased the recliner upright and lowered the footrest.
"I have to pee," Josie said.
"Alright," Gibbs said.
"Me too!" Bailey announced.
"Ok," Gibbs said helping the kids climb out of his lap, "let's go upstairs and go potty. Then we'll go ahead and take a bath. I know you guys missed bath time last night."
After contemplating briefly Gibbs decided to put both kids in the tub together. While they took turns going to the bathroom he filled the bathtub with warm water and got everything ready. He settled the twins in the tub then floated the boats in the water for them to play with. Josie sat quietly watching while Bailey quickly chose a boat and started sailing it around the water.
"Do you want to play with a boat, Josie?" Bailey offered. "Papa Gibbs buyed lots of boats. You can play too." The little boy watched as his sister sat quietly in the bathtub. "Here," he said, offering her a boat when she didn't answer. "This boat goes super fast!"
Josie pulled her hands away from the boat Bailey offered and shook her head.
"Are you ok, Sweet Pea?" Gibbs asked as poured a small amount of shampoo into his hand.
Bailey watched as Gibbs worked the shampoo into his sister's hair. "Josie, Papa Gibbs wants you to talk to him."
Gibbs realized all the attention was starting to put Josie on edge when the little girl started rocking herself back and forth nervously. "It's ok, Josie," he said. He rinsed the shampoo out of her hair then started lathering up Bailey's hair.
"I love you, Papa Gibbs," Bailey said.
A surprised smile crossed Gibbs' lips as he rinsed the shampoo off his hands. "I love you too, Bailey."
"What about Josie?" Bailey asked.
"I love Josie too," Gibbs said turning to face the little girl. Josie made eye contact with Gibbs briefly before nervously looking away. Gibbs patted the top of her head then rinsed the shampoo out of Bailey's hair.
Bailey helped Gibbs wash himself then busied himself with his boats while Gibbs turned his attention to Josie. Instead of helping Gibbs, Josie sat limp in the bathtub and let Gibbs do all the work washing her. Gibbs was growing more concerned as Josie seemed to be getting more and more despondent.
When both children were clean, Gibbs got them out of the tub, dried them off and wrapped them in their towels. "Bailey, I laid some clean clothes out on your bed. Do you think you can start getting dressed while I help Josie? As soon as I'm done I'll come in and help you."
"Ok," Bailey said.
"Underwear first," Gibbs instructed, "the opening goes in the front."
"I know, Papa Gibbs. I can do it," Bailey said confidently.
Gibbs smiled as he watched Bailey pretend to fly out of the bathroom and across the hall in his Superman towel. He rewrapped Josie up in her towel, then lifted her into his arms and carried her down the hall to her room.
"You're safe here, Josie," Gibbs told her while he helped her get her underwear on. "Nobody's going to hurt you."
"Daddy will," Josie said. "He will be mad when he finds out I told on him and then he will shoot me up like he did to those other people on the movie. He has a gun. I know because I saw it before."
Gibbs shook his head as he pulled the little girl's jeans onto her. "He doesn't know where you are, Baby, and I'm not going to let him find you."
"Do you promise?" Josie asked.
Gibbs looked into her eyes and nodded. "I promise, Josie. I won't let anything happen to you." He hugged the little girl and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Baby Girl," he whispered.
Relieved that he seemed to be making a little bit of progress with her, Gibbs finished dressing her, brushed her hair then took her into Bailey's room to see how he was doing. When he walked into the room he found Bailey standing next to an open box wearing his underwear and the top half of one of Gibbs' old uniforms.
"Did you used to be a Army man, Papa Gibbs?" the little boy asked as he put the uniform hat on.
Gibbs couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "I'm a Marine, Buddy," he said as he knelt in front of the little boy and straightened the hat on his head. "You were supposed to put your clothes on."
"I can't," Bailey said sounding frustrated. "This stupid thing on my arm won't let me. Will you get it off now?"
"You'll get the cast off soon," Gibbs said. He straightened out the little boy's underwear then removed the uniform jacket he was wearing. "Let's get you into some clothes that fit you a little better."
"But I want to wear the Army man suit!" Bailey said.
"Hmm," Gibbs said, "how about we put some of your clothes on you and then you can wear the ACU jacket over your clothes."
"Hooray!" Bailey cheered while Gibbs pulled his t-shirt over his head. "I get to be a Army man today, I mean, a Marine. Sissy, do you want to be a Marine today?" Bailey asked as Gibbs helped him with his pants. "You can be a Marine lady. Papa Gibbs has lots of Marine things in that box."
Josie reached out and latched onto Gibbs' shirt as she shook her head. Gibbs helped Bailey get the top half of the Marine uniform back on then started rolling up the sleeves.
"What does this say, Papa Gibbs?" Bailey asked pointing to the right side of the uniform.
"That says my name, Gibbs."
"And this one?" Bailey asked pointing to the opposite side.
"That one says US Marines," Gibbs answered.
"Wow," Bailey said. He waited patiently while Gibbs buttoned the jacket up then put the hat back on his head.
Gibbs took the kids back down to the living, dumped the Legos out in the middle of the floor and sat down to play with them. Bailey decided he wanted to build a farm for the Lego animals and enlisted Gibbs' help. Josie settled herself in Gibbs' lap and watched.
Gibbs sat building with Bailey and holding Josie until it was time to start dinner. Bailey decided he wanted to help Gibbs cook so Gibbs took both kids into the kitchen with him, not wanting to leave Josie alone for too long. He helped them wash their hands then pulled two chairs in front of the counter and stood each child in one.
Gibbs washed a few potatoes and let Bailey help him pierce them with a fork. After they were in the oven he pulled out everything needed to make meatloaf. While he stirred the ingredients together he told Bailey how much of each thing to add. All efforts to get Josie involved in the process were unsuccessful. The little girl stood and watched keeping one hand on Gibbs the whole time.
When the meatloaf and potatoes were in the oven Gibbs washed himself and the kids up then dug around in the refrigerator and pulled out all the vegetables he had for a salad. He stood Josie in the chair in front of him and watched as Bailey climbed from the floor to the chair and finally sat cross legged on the countertop. Josie stood contently with Gibbs' arms on either side of her while he cut up the vegetables. Bailey took the cut veggies and distributed them evenly in each bowl with Gibbs helping him learn to count as he put the pieces in one by one.
When Gibbs heard the front door open, he looked at the digital clock on the stove. "Jen?"
"Dinner smells great," Jenny said coming into the kitchen.
Gibbs leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "How was your afternoon?"
"Uneventful for the most part," Jenny answered. She leaned in and kissed Josie then leaned towards Bailey who quickly backed away. "Oh, I forgot, you don't like kisses from girls." She ruffled his hair instead then pulled a glass out of the cupboard. "How was your afternoon?" She put a few cubes of ice in her glass then filled it with water.
"Quiet," Gibbs answered. "Took a nap, got our baths, played with Legos—"
"And dress up?" Jenny asked indicating the uniform jacket Bailey was still wearing. "Or did he enlist this afternoon while I was at work?"
"I guess my old uniforms are in one of the boxes in his room," Gibbs said. "I need to clean in there this weekend, move the boxes to the attic, try to make it look more like a little boy's bedroom than a storage area."
"That would be really nice, Jethro," Jenny said. She finished her water then put her glass down on the counter. "I'm going to go get changed before dinner."
"Hey," Gibbs said as she turned to go. "If Bailey doesn't want his kiss, I'll take it." Jenny smiled and pressed her lips to Gibbs' again before disappearing upstairs.
After dinner everyone sat down in the living room together. Jenny put in one of the movies Tim and Abby had left for the twins and they all cuddled together on the couch. Josie sat cuddled in Gibbs' protective arms while Bailey crawled from Gibbs' lap to Jenny's lap and all over the rest of the couch.
"Well somebody's feeling better," Jenny said.
"He's definitely had more energy today," Gibbs said.
Jenny rested her hand on Gibbs' arm and looked at him with bright eyes and a big smile. "I know that look," Gibbs said. "You want something."
"Ice cream," Jenny said. "I really want a bowl of ice cream."
"It's freezing cold outside and you want ice cream?" Gibbs asked. Jenny nodded as she smiled up at him.
"I like ice cream!" Bailey said popping up in front of Gibbs' face.
"Do you see what you started?" Gibbs laughed. "I don't have any in the freezer but I suppose I could take the wild man here with me and go get you some."
"Thank you, Jethro!" Jenny said.
"Plain chocolate?" Gibbs asked.
"You remember," Jenny said taking Josie from Gibbs.
"I remember the important stuff," Gibbs said with a wink. "Do you want to go with me to get the ice cream, Bailey?"
"Can I pick a ice cream too?" Bailey asked. He stood up on the couch and wrapped his arms around Gibbs.
"Uh-huh," Gibbs said lifting him up. He got himself and Bailey ready, kissed Jenny and Josie goodbye then took Bailey and disappeared to the store, leaving Jenny and Josie alone at the house.
Shortly after Gibbs left with Bailey, Jenny heard the door handle turning followed by a knock. Her body tensed and she wrapped her arms tighter around Josie.
"Jethro, it's me, Ducky," Ducky called from the front porch.
Jenny released a deep breath as she lifted Josie up and carried her to the front door to let the doctor in. "Hi Ducky," she greeted as she let him in. "Jethro and Bailey are at the store. They'll be back shortly."
"No hurry," Ducky said as he slipped his shoes off and hung his coat up. "I just came by to check on Josie." He smiled warmly at the little girl in Jenny's arms.
Jenny locked the front door once again and they headed into the living room. "She's been a little clingy and she's not eating very well but Jethro did manage to get her to nap earlier." It was clear Josie wasn't interested in the movie so Jenny paused it while she talked to Ducky.
"Nothing a little time and some TLC won't cure," Ducky said encouragingly, "and I know she's getting plenty of that around here." He ran his hand over Josie's back while the little girl sat cradled in Jenny's lap. "How is Bailey doing? Is he feeling better?"
Jenny laughed and nodded her head. "Definitely," she answered. "He's been a wild man tonight. It's wonderful to see though. He's still very attached to Jethro but I think he's starting to open up and trust others a little more."
"Children have the amazing ability to bounce back quickly," Ducky said. "It appears they really trust you and Jethro. They're making good progress, well, despite the minor setback today but that will all be worked out too."
"Momma Gibbs, Momma Gibbs," Bailey called hurrying into the living room. "We buy your ice cream for you!" He held out the grocery bag and Jenny took it.
"Can you say hi to Dr. Mallard?" Jenny asked.
"Hi," Bailey said with a shy smile. "Want some ice cream? We buy chocolate for Momma Gibbs and I pick out cookie dough 'cause I don't like chocolate."
"Well, I suppose a little bit of ice cream wouldn't hurt," Ducky said. "Thank you for sharing."
"Hey Duck," Gibbs said. He took the grocery bag from Jen and let Bailey drag him into the kitchen. Gibbs scooped the bowls of ice cream and Bailey delivered them one at a time to everyone in the living room except Josie, who decided she didn't want any. When everyone else had their ice cream Gibbs sat Bailey down at the coffee table right in front of him and he sat next to Jenny and Josie on the couch.
"Just in the neighborhood?" Gibbs asked Ducky.
"Something like that," Ducky said. "I wanted to check up on everyone."
"Just in time for ice cream," Gibbs said taking a bite of his ice cream. He scooped a small amount on his spoon and offered it to Josie who was still cuddled into Jenny's lap. "Do you want to share my ice cream?"
Josie looked from Gibbs to the spoon then opened her mouth and took the bite. She crawled from Jenny's lap to Gibbs' lap and helped him eat his ice cream. Everyone made small talk while they finished their ice cream then Jenny stayed in the living room with the twins and Ducky helped Gibbs take everyone's dishes to the kitchen.
"Tea?" Gibbs offered.
"No thanks," Ducky said, "I don't plan on staying that long. I just wanted to see how Josie was doing."
"She's not really talking much but I can tell she's scared," Gibbs said. "She's retreating behind some sort of invisible protective barrier."
"That's normal," Ducky assured him. "Her sense of safety has been threatened. It's possible watching the tape triggered a memory of something her father did to her in the past."
"She was so happy, so full of life," Gibbs said, "and now it's gone. Just like that."
"She'll get it back, Jethro. Encourage her to talk about it, what she saw, what she felt. Continue to show her you love her and that she's safe here. Try to be patient. I know that's not always easy for you."
Gibbs sighed and ran his hand over his face. "Thanks, Ducky."
After Ducky said his goodbyes and left, Gibbs returned to the living room where everyone was watching the movie and sat down next to Jenny and Josie. Bailey crawled into his lap and seemed to be settling down finally. Gibbs wrapped one arm around the little boy and with the other held Josie's hand.
After the movie ended Gibbs and Jenny took the kids upstairs, changed them into their pajamas and worked on putting them to bed. Gibbs laid down with Bailey and rubbed his stomach until he fell asleep then peeked into Josie's room to check on her and Jenny.
"She's too tense, Jethro," Jenny said. "How did you get her to sleep earlier?"
"Let me try," Gibbs said. He took Josie from Jenny and sat down in the rocking chair with her. He settled her head over his heart and rocked her slowly while he hummed to her. Jenny stood in the doorway watching with a smile on her face. Gibbs patiently rocked Josie and hummed softly to her until she finally gave in and went to sleep. He laid her down in her bed, covered her up and kissed her forehead then he and Jenny went back downstairs.
"Do you think she'll be ok?" Jenny asked.
"I hope so," Gibbs said. "I'm worried about her." He sat down on the couch and Jenny sat next to him. "I think starting next week we should leave them home. I'll set up a rotation with my team, this can be the safe house. The office is no place for them. I don't want any more accidents and I think they'll be happier here."
"Why the hesitation?" Jenny asked sensing he was holding something back.
Gibbs took her hand in his and ran his thumb over her knuckles. "I just don't want to let them out of my sight," he said. He grew quiet and stared straight ahead. Jenny sat next to him, patiently waiting for him to continue. "I let Shannon and Kelly down. I wasn't here to protect them. I don't want to let the twins down."
Jenny put her arm around Gibbs trying to figure out how to respond. Before she could say anything they heard Josie crying in her room.
"I got her," Gibbs said as he stood from the couch. He hurried up to Josie's room and scooped her into his arms. "It's ok, Sweetheart, I've got you." He sat down in the rocking chair with her and cuddled her to his chest. "Did you have a bad dream?"
"Daddy was here," Josie said as she slowed her crying. "He wanted me to go with him but I don't want to go. I don't want to go, Papa Gibbs."
"Shh," Gibbs whispered. "You don't have to go anywhere. You're safe here. I'll keep you safe."
Gibbs grabbed a book and read to Josie, hoping a story would distract her from her nightmare and help her go back to sleep. The sound of his voice and the rocking back and forth put the little girl back to sleep fairly quickly. Gibbs tucked her into bed and once again left her to sleep.
When he stepped out into the hall Jenny was coming upstairs. "I think I'm ready for bed too," she said. "I wasn't sure if you were going back down or not so I locked up and turned all the lights out."
"Thank you," Gibbs said. He wrapped his arms around Jenny and pulled her into a hug. "And thank you for staying with me, helping with the twins."
Jenny smiled as she leaned in to kiss him. "You're welcome, Jethro."
They headed into their bedroom and got ready for bed. Gibbs stretched out in bed and Jenny laid down next to him with her head on his chest. "I've missed this," she said.
"Hmm?"
"You," she said, "the closeness. Having someone there when I go to bed at night and wake up each morning."
Gibbs flashed back to the time he'd spent with her in Europe. He'd never imagined it would end the way it did and he had been hurt by it but he'd moved on. Things were different now. He was different, Jenny was different and their situation was different. "I missed you too, Jenny."
Just as Gibbs was reaching over to turn off the lamp they heard Josie crying again. "I'll get her this time," Jenny said.
"Why don't you just bring her in here with us," Gibbs suggested.
Jenny disappeared and returned a few moments later with Josie. She laid her down in the middle of the bed then climbed in next to her. Gibbs pulled the blankets over everyone then turned the lamp off. Josie cuddled into Jenny and held onto Gibbs' hand until she fell asleep again. Gibbs leaned over and kissed Josie's forehead then pressed his lips to Jenny's. "Good night," he whispered.
"Night," Jenny said.