By the next morning Noah had started to come around. He had become more responsive to stimuli and to his parents. The doctors and nurses were thrilled by the results and knew that it was because the Palmer's were back in his life. They had a very short visit in the morning. Before they had to leave to attend the custody hearing.

Leaving was hard and the prospect of the hearing was unnerving. Everybody was saying that they would get custody back but that did not make it any easier. Senior could not pay the judge off but what if somebody else did or something came out? It was a lot for the young parents to handle.

"Well here goes nothing." Jimmy sighed as he pulled into the courthouse.

"Maybe we should save ourselves the heartbreak and sacrifice custody. At least then it will be on our own terms." Breena suggested.

"No we have to fight. We have to at least try to get Noah back." Jimmy replied.

"What if our hearts get broken again?" Breena asked.

"Then at least we tried." Jimmy whispered.

Leaving Tony's side was the last thing in the world Gibbs wanted to do, but he had to catch Senior. By all accounts Senior was still in Hawaii. More than likely he was trying to protect his own ass. Knowing he would be busted right away if he tried to fly out. Whatever the case, Jethro wanted to catch that bastard and make him pay for his sins. He gave Tony a firm order to stay alive before leaving the hospital. He climbed into his rented car. He was going to have to rely on good old fashioned stalking to find that bastard.

It was not long before news of Tony's attack reached DC. The news was first reported nationally on ZNN, the following morning. McGee was glad Tali was not around. When he first saw the story. She had just left with Delilah to get donuts. When McGee switched on the news. In that instant. He knew exactly why Gibbs had flown to Hawaii. He wondered why exactly Gibbs had not said anything to him but figured he was so rattled by the news. It didn't help that Senior the scumbag was responsible.

The story replayed again later in the afternoon. This time Tali was down for a nap and Delilah was catching up on the news. By afternoon Tony was extremely critical. Little was certain at the time but one thing was certain. At least to the people who knew Tony and Gibbs well.

"Senior's still out there." Delilah announced after McGee returned from the bathroom.

"Hopefully he goes down soon." Delilah replied.

"Cops all over the country are looking for him. More seriously, Gibbs is after him." McGee replied.

"You think so?" Delilah asked.

"Why else would Gibbs fly out alone?" McGee questioned.

"Good point" Delilah replied.

"Hopefully Gibbs will be the one to bring him down. If the cops catch him. He may end up doing something stupid and getting killed, but he'll probably just get jail time. If Gibbs catches him. He will be lucky if there's enough left to identify." McGee explained.

Gibbs was out looking for Senior. When he got the news, Tony had been taken back for an emergency surgery. The swelling in his brain had doubled and he was undergoing a procedure to relieve the pressure. It was an extremely risky surgery but at this point it was the only way to save Tony's life. There was no reluctance in Gibbs returning to the hospital. The Hawaii police were looking for Senior. Maybe it wouldn't be the deadly take down Gibbs was hoping for but that bastard was going to go down and soon. Maybe Gibbs would be able to take down that bastard after Tony was out, but for now Tony was his top priority. The coming hours were hell and Jethro wished he had stayed away. He was desperate for a distraction and seeing Senior's face on the news did not cut it. Finally the doors to the surgical hallway opened and a surgeon approached him.

"Surgery went as well as expected. Right now he is stable and should be out of recovery in an hour, but the next few days are critical." Dr. Roberts explained.

"When can I see him?" Gibbs asked.

"As soon as he is out of recovery." Dr. Roberts replied.

Jimmy and Breena sat side by side in the courtroom. This was the moment of truth. They had made their statements and their social worker had spoken on their behalf. There was no jury and no character witnesses. That would not happen until the official trial the following month. For now it was just them, their lawyer, and a judge.

"Please stand" Judge Miller instructed.

Jimmy and Breena exchanged nervous glances as they stood. This was the moment of truth. There was no going back from here. What ever the verdict was could change their entire lives. This verdict could even cost them the official hearing.

"I hereby grand you, James Theodore Palmer and Breena Marie Slater-Palmer temporary custody of Noah Gabriel. The official hearing will take place August fifteenth at ten o'clock am." Judge Miller announced.

Jimmy and Breena were over the moon. It was only temporary but they had Noah for now. Judge Miller and their social worker Cindy seemed optimistic that they would get permanent custody. Then they could get back on the adoption process. Before long Noah would officially be a Palmer and Senior could never hurt him again.

After leaving the hospital, they went home to relieve Ed and to check on Gracie. She was sitting on the floor watching TV but cautiously approached when they returned. She stayed out of the kitchen. Where Jimmy and Breena were now talking to Ed, but Jimmy quickly ushered her in. She took a seat at the table but remained silent as the adults spoke.

"Guess what Gracie." Breena started.

"What?" Gracie asked.

"We got Noah back. He is going to be your brother." Jimmy announced.

"I'm getting a brother?" Gracie asked.

"You are" Breena replied.

"OK" Gracie replied, unsure of how to take the news.

A/N: How will the new family adapt? New chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading and please review.