The money was a welcome surprise to the Palmer's. Though they certainly could have done without the circumstances. They knew that Ducky had to go someday but they desperately wished for more time with their dear friend. They would never be over his death.
Breena had a similar reaction to Jimmy. Except she actually did faint. Thankfully for her she was standing beside the bed and had a soft landing. When she came to Jimmy was sitting beside her on the bed. She sat herself up and looked into his eyes. This was an amazing gift but it almost seemed to be too generous.
"Oh Jimmy that is amazing. I feel guilty for not being there." Breena gasped.
"Gibbs only requested that I come. He figured you would be busy with the kids." Jimmy explained.
"He said to start a family. Can we really accept it?" Breena asked.
"Ducky had not updated his will since before Noah came to us." Jimmy explained.
"At least we'll be able to afford the house and a nice van. Along with a nice college fund for each child." Breena said.
"Still want to get that house in our neighborhood?" Jimmy asked.
"It would be best the property taxes aren't bad and Gracie could stay in the same school. She could even ride the same bus." Breena explained.
The following afternoon Jimmy and Breena toured their new home. They ended up having to bring both kids but that was a good thing. They could get the children's honest opinion of the home. The exterior of the house was similar to the Palmer's old home. Built by the same company within a decade. The new house had the same brick exterior. The same picture window in the living room and what Jimmy guessed was the upstairs master bedroom. Same brown door though the previous owners had stained the door to make it look antique. The front yard was about the size of the Palmer's current backyard and the old oak tree had a small swing hanging from one of the branches.
"A swing! My grandma had a tree swing!" Gracie cried.
"Careful sweetie that tree is sturdy but that swing has sat for a long time and the ropes are not what they used to be." Karen warned.
"Oh" Gracie sighed.
"We can put a new swing up." Jimmy offered.
"We can?" Gracie asked.
"Of course. I bet that Uncle Gibbs would be happy to help me make one." Jimmy replied recalling a picture of Kelly swinging on a tree swing.
"OK" Gracie replied.
The inside of the house had the same layout as the old one. The living room took one side of the first story and the kitchen took the other with a hallway and staircase between. Upstairs was a hallway with two bedrooms on one side, the other bedroom, and the den on the other, and a bathroom at the end of the hall. Gracie fell in love with the far bedroom with the big window and loft bed on one of the walls. Luckily for Jimmy and Breena the smaller bedroom had cars, trains, and trucks painted on the walls. The master bedroom was nice as well. The bathroom was nice and it would be great for the children. The den was twice the size of the master bedroom and could easily be divided if they ended up with one set of boys and one set of girls.
"What do you think?" Jimmy asked.
"I think that we need to make an offer." Breena replied.
"So do I." Jimmy agreed.
"So I am getting my new room and my new swing?!" Gracie questioned.
"As long as they accept the offer we will." Jimmy replied.
The Realtor accepted Jimmy and Breena's offer. They would be able to move into their new home in ten days. The next step was finding a van. They had called around to several lots but were struggling to find the right vehicle. It seemed like everything was too big or too small. Others were retrofitted for handicapped people or had been configured for other purposes. They still had a long way to go and there were no promises that they would get four babies, or any babies.
"Are we jumping the gun on this? What if Felicia miscarries? What if we go through the pain of loss all over again? Times four this time?" Breena questioned.
"We won't. Everything is going to be fine. We can put off buying the van for a few months. Maybe in that time we can find the right vehicle." Jimmy offered.
"Can we wait until the babies are born and we know they are healthy?" Breena asked.
"We'll see" Jimmy replied.
Even with ten days to go. The Palmer's were already preparing to move into their new home. They had begun collecting boxes and packing away items that they would not be needing until after they had moved. The winter clothes and most of the baby items they had already collected.
"Can you believe that we are moving in ten days?" Breena asked.
"No" Jimmy replied.
"I remember when this house seemed huge. When it seemed stupid that we had extra bedrooms. Because we would never have children of our own." Jimmy recalled.
"I remember those days too and I certainly don't miss them." Breena remembered.
"Same here" Jimmy agreed.
The children were most excited to move. Gracie went on and on about her room and swing, Noah was just happy to have a big boy room. It warmed Jimmy and Breena's hearts to see their babies so happy and so accepting. It helped that the move came with great things for them but both were equally excited to have siblings. Noah was far too young to understand the worry. Gracie was old enough to know the risks but in her innocent mind. Her siblings be born perfect and wonderful.
A/N: How will the Palmer's settle into their new home? New chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading and please review.