Thanks for your patience! Weeks ago, I thought I'd just whip this chapter right out (while I'm enjoying my garden and messier-than-ever interior of my home) but as my fellow writers know, that's not always the way it works.
Complicating an already complicated situation is that Alix33 is also now on lockdown and unable to beta the last two chapters. I've done some editing but I always miss something!
My thanks to Alix33 for all her hard work on this story over the past two years and to all of you who've stuck with the Gibbs gang to the end. ONE more chapter, HONEST! Oh, and if anyone has any particular 'wants' for my next story, drop me a review or a PM, let me know! Just not in this universe, please, they (we) need a break.
Stay safe, stay healthy, try to remain positive. I'm sending cyber hugs to each and every one of you. Blessings and thanks to those of you who are essential workers: medical staff and suppliers, transportation- truck drivers, employees of grocery stores, pharmacies, food delivery and preparation and pharmaceutical staff. Words can't express my gratitude for the Herculean tasks you're doing every day and to your families for their support of you.
Story note: I researched the process of getting medical treatments and drugs approved in the U.S. but didn't want to overwhelm anyone (or me) with the whole setup. There's no need to go into details about a fictional medical condition when a real one is on the loose!
Here we go…the penultimate chapter…
Chapter 132
September 2024, the United Kingdom
Before Tim, Artie, Hope and Rob left for the doctor's appointment, they had a very welcome visitor, Andy. They'd texted him from the airbase to let him know they'd arrived safely and again when they reached the house. Andy ran down the hill from Bedford to the Airbnb, throwing himself into the arms of the first person he saw, his father. He cried as he greeted each of them, upset and worried about his baby sister, happy that his family was home but still scared. As scared as he was, he felt better with his father's arms wrapped around him. He was a little ashamed, he was supposed to be an adult now but then he remembered all the times Papa needed Grandpa. When Hope woke up and saw him, she made happy noises as he wrapped his arms around her. He decided to stay until Hope, his parents and Uncle Rob returned from the appointment.
Tim, Artie, Hope and Rob took naps before they were driven into the city. As the director of an armed Federal Agency, Tim was accompanied and driven almost everywhere by his security team and that included trips to the doctor. Some of his detail had also been Leon's while he was here and today they accompanied the family to the doctor's appointment.
While Hope and the others were at the doctor's office, the rest of the family unpacked their clothes and then Grandma suggested they all take a walk into the countryside. By that time, school was out for the day and one of the new cousins, Will, and their Mallard cousins joined them, which cheered everyone up. As they walked, the Gibbs kids realized that Andy was not only with them today but they could see him every week now that they were back in Brambury. Although that made them happy, they worried about their sister. Jed in particular was scared and feeling like he'd lost his best friend.
The walk felt good and helped start the restoration of their emotional equilibrium. They smiled and waved at their shepherd, who called out a welcome home to them. Then one of the kids said "Race you to that tree!" and the other kid took off with a grin. In seconds, Jethro and Lu were by themselves as the children raced off. They didn't worry, the older boys would keep an eye on the younger kids and frankly, with their worry about their sister, the hurried packing, leaving their Arlington lives behind and the long flight, running for fun was just about the best thing they could do. If only Hope could be with them.
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Dr. Hoynes carefully examined Hope, watching her walk, move her limbs, turn her head, breathe, cough, asking her questions and of course checking her weight, oxygen levels, temperature and blood pressure. She drew blood for fresh tests and asked Hope to describe how she felt. Hope thought about it before saying, "Like I need to sleep all the time, I never feel like I've had enough sleep. My legs feel really heavy, like I can only lift one leg at a time. My arms and my head, too."
"Do you remember what you felt like before?"
"Yes, I don't like to sit still, except in school because there is always something interesting. I love to swim, run, ride my bike and hike and skate. I don't mind sleeping if it's dark outside or after we fly somewhere far and when I wake up, I jump out of bed. I love to play softball with my family and we always take awesome hikes, have picnics. Last winter, we went cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing in our own forest. In the summer, we go to the beach a lot and it's fun to jump the waves and swim in the pool at our grandfather's house in Greece when it's too cold or in our pool at our camp. We have bike races there too. Oh and I like to dance too, in our family we do Greek dancing."
"That sounds wonderful, Hope! What we want to do is to get your treatment started so you'll be able to do those things again."
"Good!"
Finally, the family, including Rob, were together in the doctor's office as she reported her findings and outlined the treatment plan. "Dr. Gibbs, I'm thankful you followed the steps you did, your research was quite thorough and contacting your mentors here was brilliant! I'm so glad that led to you contacting me. As we've discussed, I agree with the diagnosis and Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs, you did a wonderful job getting Hope here so quickly.
"As I emphasized to Rob, there is a limited timeframe when the treatment will be the most successful and your quick reaction brought Hope here within that timeframe. I can't imagine how difficult and worrying that must have been, to pack up the whole family and leave within a couple of days! However, because this is a fairly rare condition, it takes longer to diagnose, especially with so many of the symptoms similar to other illnesses. So Rob doing the research, consulting with his mentors and reaching the diagnosis as quickly as he did and you bringing your daughter here as soon as you had the information will help her considerably."
The doctor smiled at her patient, "Hope, you and I are going to spend a lot of time together over the next few years. We'll start part of your treatment today and then more on Friday. That will give you time to rest up from your flight and move across the ocean. How do you like being back in the UK?"
Hope smiled, "We only got here this morning but I'm glad. I wish I wasn't sick, though, I want to feel better!"
"Good, then that's what we'll do, help you feel better. Our treatment is a combination of immunotherapy," she stopped to explain that in terms that Hope would understand, "and a mix of drugs that were originally developed for other things but have proven successful against this disease. Mum and Dad, the medication our girl will be taking does not include opioids.
"Miss Hope, we'll start you off with an MRI to see what's going on with your soft tissues inside you. I know you've already had one but I'm picky, I like to have my own pictures. Then you'll have tablets to take every day, starting today. It might take a few days for your body to get used to them. By Friday, we'll know how well your body does with them and if you feel really bad before then, your parents and Dr. Uncle Rob will let me know. Tomorrow, Thursday, we'll let you rest at home.
"When you see me on Friday, I'll give you an infusion. That's a needle in your arm or leg connected by tubing to a small bag filled with liquid medicine." She stopped to show Hope and her parents a sample of the tubing and bag. "The liquid will go through the tubing to your body to fight off the bad stuff that's making you sick. Once the bag is empty, we'll give you a few minutes to rest and then you can go home. You'll have an infusion 5 times a week for the first four weeks. At the end of those weeks, we'll do new tests and see how you're responding to the treatment.
"Depending upon the results, we'll increase the number of infusions each week or keep them the same. However, there will be at least 5 a week for the next 12 months."
She took a breath, giving her patient and the adults a bit of time to absorb that. When she saw they had, she continued, "What that means is that you'll have to be here in the UK for an infusion 5 days every week. Right now, we're the only country administering the treatment, although Germany is scheduled to start sometime next year.
"What's worked well with other patients is to have a port implanted right about here." She gently touched Hope's upper chest, below her right collar bone. "A port is a type of central venous catheter. By implanting it, we can plug the infusion line in and it won't hurt as much, you won't need a fresh needle jab for every infusion. Hope, you'll have your first infusion on Friday and then on Saturday or Monday, with your parents' approval, we'll implant the port. It'll be sore for several days so we'll continue to give you your infusions manually. By next Thursday or Saturday, we can switch to using the port."
She showed them a model of the port and then showed them a photo of someone with an implanted port. It barely showed.
"Now, Mum and Dad, there are two things to consider here. The first is that Hope cannot have showers or go swimming the first week after implantation. We'll talk more about that later. The second consideration is that the port will be cleaned professionally by Hope's medical staff and occasionally by you. There are some cleaning tips you'll need, nothing too scary or drastic but the port does need to be cleaned by an adult on a regular basis. Once Miss Hope gets used to the implant, she can swim, shower or whatever she wants without worrying about it. Ports generally last anywhere from 2 to 6 years. Hope, we'll replace your port as you grow up."
She smiled at them, "She doesn't need to be hospitalized, you've done well getting her here as soon as you did. If she does have a reaction to the medication, which happens to about 2 out of 6 patients, we'll modify the strength until we've reached an acceptable level for her body.
"Now as far as activities, I understand you've been homeschooling her, Artemis?"
"Yes, for nearly 2 weeks. Although we had a very short session on Tuesday and none so far today."
"Considering jet lag, the new medication and port implant, what would you think of waiting until Monday to resume her lessons?"
Artie and Tim had a silent conversation before nodding their agreement. "Yes, that will work. We have to get new material from the Brambury primary school anyway."
Tim cleared his throat, "Rob told us about the port and we agree to having it implanted. In the long run, it will be more comfortable and more efficient for Hope."
"Good, thank you! Hope, I know there's an indoor pool in your house in Virginia and I know it was your favorite thing to do. However, for the next few days, I prefer you take it easy. You can read, play with your toys, take some walks out in the country, I remember how much you all loved that when you lived here before."
Hope smiled, "We did, I hope our shepherd, all the sheep and the dog are still there!"
"I hope they are too! Now Tim, Artemis, cool, slightly warm baths, nothing hot, for the first week after the implantation of the port. We've found hot baths don't help our patients when they're starting this drug regime. After the first week with the port, I prefer she take showers rather than baths. Watch closely for fever, headache and stomach upsets after she takes her tablets. To that end, while her body becomes used to all the medications, easy on the spices or anything else that might upset her tummy. We'll talk about that more in a bit. And I'll give you an instruction sheet with all this information.
"Hope, you probably won't start feeling better for a few days. Once your body has had three or four days of the medication and you have your first few infusions, you'll start to feel a little bit better. It will only be a little bit at a time, though, as we need to monitor how your body responds to everything and make some adjustments if necessary."
Hope nodded. She understood she'd be taking some pills and the bag of liquid medicine and would start to feel a little bit better. She was glad about that!
"Once we have the right balance for her treatment, number of infusions, strength of the drugs, I'll reduce her office visits to once a week. We'll get her set up as an outpatient at the Brambury Hospital's Outpatient Treatment Center. That way she can have her infusions there, closer to home and it will make things easier when she returns to school."
Hope's face lit up, "When can I go back to school?"
The doctor smiled, "I don't know yet, let's talk about it again next week, after you've been on your medications for a week and had several infusions. However, it will likely take several months, perhaps after Easter vacation next year, possibly longer."
Hope sighed, she was starting to understand what the doctor meant about feeling better 'a little bit' at a time. "All right, thank you."
Tim asked what days they'd have the first five infusions and they worked out a schedule. She'd have one on Friday, a second one before the port implant surgery on Saturday and then the third one on Tuesday, possibly using the new port and the fourth on Wednesday, the fifth on Friday, starting the next round the following Monday. The infusions took 30 minutes to complete and they'd keep her for another few minutes afterward, monitoring her vitals and the port or injection site.
"Figure 45 minutes tops, including checking in and scheduling the next one. This first week, we'll schedule all of them and you may continue to do that on the website for the Outpatient Center. Some people don't know their work hours far enough in advance to schedule much beforehand."
Rob asked how long Hope would have to undergo treatment and the doctor thanked him for reminding her. "I know we talked about this on the phone and apparently my mind checked it off as covered. With only three years past clinical trials, we're continuing to be conservative in treatment. The current protocol is that we continue treatments as long as there are symptoms. Clinical trials showed that symptoms disappeared by age 15 in 12% of the patients while another 42% continued until they were between ages 19 and 29. The percentage continuing beyond, between ages 30 and 35, is 33%. However, all of those still in treatment are living normal lives, subject to infusions and the medications, as are those who've finished treatment. They're tested monthly for the first year after treatment ends, then quarterly, half-year and finally, annually. They continue to take extra care of their immune systems but Dr. Gibbs assured me that your family already knows that drill on that, that you have someone with a compromised immune system."
"Yes, our sister-in-law. All of us, even the children, have learned how to prepare food for her and how to handle coughs or sneezes when she's around. She and her husband, our brother Bill, have recently taken in two foster children, one who also has a compromised immune system."
"Oh, that's wonderful that they've done that and I'm very happy that she has so much support in your family. I know it can be a lonely condition to deal with."
Hope grinned, "Not in our family! Do I have to do that too, have food cooked separately?"
"Yes, until you've made some progress. Let's say through Christmas, how's that? Depending on what your tests show after the holidays, we'll plan to slowly remove some of the restrictions. One that will stay in place is no takeout food, everything should be prepared for you at home and yes, as I said, your meals and beverages should be prepared separately." She looked at Hope's parents, "Some people get very upset when I say this, but I much prefer that she eat freshly prepared food, not out of cans, boxes, or frozen meals. That includes fresh produce, vegetables and fruit."
Tim nodded with a smile, "That's fine. We have several cooks in the family and we rarely eat anything out of cans, boxes or frozen meals. Except things we've cooked and frozen ourselves. Sometimes we have takeout but that's usually when we're too tired to cook. We'll make sure we always have something prepared or in the freezer. On the flight over, we decided to build a greenhouse so we can have fresh veggies and fruit year round."
Hope nodded, "My food will be like Aunt Nikki's. Can I have pizza? Daddy, Mama, Aunty Sarah and some of our uncles make it from scratch but they always wear gloves and a mask. Aunt Sarah, Grandma, Mama and Aunt Nikki put scarves or nets on their hair too." She giggled, "One time Grandpa took Grandma's hair net and put it on Daddy's head, saying he needed a haircut!"
"Oh my, that must have been funny! Now, what I'm hearing about your cooking habits sounds wonderful and yes, you can have pizza if it's homemade, but Dad, Mum, again, no heavy spices and easy on the dairy."
Hope grinned, "Daddy can't have spicy food, he's allergic. I don't know if there's butter or milk in the dough."
"Ah, but there is cheese!"
Artie smiled, "How about nut cheese? We've found some that melts well and tastes like cheese."
"Yes, that's fine, and please, let me know the brand name and where you find it!"
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After waiting a few minutes for Hope's prescription to be filled and making sure they had all the instructions for her as well as the paperwork for the port implantation surgery, the family returned to Brambury, tired and relieved although a bit overwhelmed by the thought of Hope having to have years of treatment. Still, they were thankful for Rob's diligence in diagnosing Hope's illness and insistence on getting her back to the UK for treatment.
When they walked into their temporary lodgings, they found the rest of the travelers asleep while Andy and Tony were working on preparing dinner, from scratch.
Following the directions for her new medication, Hope had a snack and then took her first tablet. Then she and her mama went to lie down, tired from their journey as well as the visit to the doctor's.
Tony watched his brothers' body language. While Tim wasn't quite relaxed, he wasn't strung as tightly as he had been this morning. Rob was almost relaxed although he also seemed to be in a watchful mode. Tony thought he was keeping an eye on Tim and Artie but Rob told him later that he was also listening for signs of distress from Hope after she'd taken her first round of medication.
Although he thought he understood, Tony later asked a question that had been nagging him about their move, "I understand needing to get Hope here as quickly as possible but how or why did you decide to pick up and move the whole family back before she'd even seen the doctor?"
Tim and Artie smiled tiredly. "We may not have seen this doctor since we left for San Diego, but Rob talked with her at great length about Hope's deteriorating condition and the timeframe for the best results, a full recovery for her. He also said that once treatment started, she'd need to stay in the UK. So we knew before we got on the plane that the doctors here believed her to be a good candidate for the treatment, they had copies of all the tests and the chronology of her illness and her health records from her first birthday to when we left for San Diego. Rob also told us some patients have problems with the tablets, that it takes some work to get the dosage right for their systems. We didn't know how long that would take and as much as we love you all, we weren't going to leave Hope here with anyone else if we had a choice. And frankly, none of us liked the idea of leaving the rest of the family in Virginia while we came here with Hope. And there was no way one of us would come and the other stay. It was a very quick decision."
Tim shook his head, "I was fully prepared to step down at the agency, my family comes first, but Secretary Porter said she wasn't giving me up that easily." He chuckled, "I'm sure she meant that she didn't want to have to look for another director and then break him or her in."
Tony thought the SecNav meant exactly what she said but kept that to himself.
Over dinner, Rob Skyped with Ellie, their children and the Bishops as they had lunch and listened, relieved, to the news about Hope. While she had a long road ahead of her, it was now a journey of hope rather than fear and she'd have plenty of support and love each step of the way.
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When Hope's medication didn't bother her and with no other medical appointments until Friday, Tim decided to go into the office Thursday morning. He had no idea yet how much he'd be able to work at the office but the least he could do is show up whenever he could!
His detail drove him to the office to meet with his London SSAIC, say hello to everyone and get settled in. James laughed as he rode along with his brother-in-law the director, saying he'd missed all their free rides to the City with Director Vance. Tim smiled at him, "Now you don't even have to ask. Of course, until we establish a schedule for Hope's appointments, I mean beyond next week, I won't know when I'm going in."
James nodded. "I'm so relieved you're here and that Hope's started her treatment already."
"Me too, brother, me too. Although I still feel like I'm caught up in a whirlwind."
"Maybe a time vortex?"
Tim chuckled, the two of them did love their science fiction!
Once they reached the office, Tim's face lit up and never dimmed the entire time he was there, from the moment he laid eyes on the 'Welcome Home, Director Gibbs' sign to saying hello to Cynthia and his old team, that is Ray and Kendra, who'd come in early to see him when he first arrived.
Dahlgren, Bec's former junior agent, was now the SFA and one of just two members of Bec's former field team still in London. Alan Walker, Bec's former SFA, led the Marseille office and another former member of Childers' team held the same post in one of the Great Lakes' sub offices.
Tim greeted Dahlgren with a handshake and Ray and Kendra with discreet hugs, telling them they'd see Ellie in about 5 weeks. When they assumed she, Rob and the kids were coming over for Thanksgiving, he didn't dispute that.
It was wonderful to see everyone and he laughed when he saw his favorite pastries laid out in the break room. He'd also brought some and added them to the pile, enough for the entire office.
He smiled when he entered the office Leon first occupied during the war, now his office for the next six months or, if he received permission to work here longer, the duration of his directorship.
With only a couple of days' notice, the place smelled and looked as clean as Leon's last day here, back in August of 2021. His smile grew wider at the large indoor plant. That was a very nice touch. Noticing the walls were bare, he thought he'd wait a few weeks to bring any of his artwork or photos in. He'd brought one photo in today and removing it from his laptop case, he set up the frame, placing it on the credenza off to the side of his desk, where he could easily see it.
It was a photo of Artie, their kids and him on the beach in Varkiza in July, 2021, the second to last summer before they moved to San Diego. The shot was taken their first day on the beach when they were all grins, happy to be there, their move over a year in the future. It was strange how when you lived with people, especially kids, you didn't notice changes right away but now, he could see how much the boys and Rissa had grown and how much ground Hope had lost. Of course, they didn't have much information about her parents and thus had no idea of what to expect for their Umut. Over this past summer, they'd written a letter to her birth father's step-sister to ask for information, carefully translating it into her language, but hadn't yet heard back. Once Hope was feeling a little better, they thought they'd have her DNA tested by one of the sites that give an idea of possible medical conditions as well as ethnicity.
When he had a chance to speak with Cynthia, he teased her about still being here, remembering she'd been worried about working with Jane Melankovic. She smirked at him, "We did fine. She was new to the country and I knew enough to be helpful and that was enough of a bond to start with. Well, and both of us knowing you, too." She shook her head at Tim, "But then…!"
He grinned, "Yeah, that was a surprise for me too."
"Really?"
"Yes, none of the family NCIS'ers report to me. I have three Assistant Directors who handle everything for them. It is up to me to approve or disapprove their requests but the ADs document everything and I doubt I'd disapprove anything they approved. Leon disapproved of one thing I suggested. He twisted the heck out of a few requests or postponed them but the only thing he ever disapproved was something I was crazy to ask for in the first place."
While he met with the SSAIC, he was given a status on the Field Office in general. Although he knew just about everything, Joel, Tony, Roger and Pete kept in touch with their former offices and him, now he was pleased to officially hear the good stuff. His SSAIC was happy with Andreson in Hamburg and very pleased to hear how well Bob Chalmers was doing.
As Tim left her office, he thought back to how her presence here had come about. It was over a weekend last summer, between the annual trek to Maine and the annual trek to Greece, when she and her family were visiting for the weekend.
Saturday afternoon, he'd been sitting in the recliner in the family room, feet up, relaxed and enjoying a tall glass of cold tea when Bec appeared. "Hey Tim, do you have a minute?"
"Of course! What's up?"
"I've already said this to the AD I report to but I wanted to also let you know. We want to move home, to the UK. I've asked for a lateral or anything, really. I said it was for family reasons and that's true but the root of it is that it's too hard being in the U.S., knowing what happened and wondering what she did. I know Leon kept us over here during Reconstruction so we wouldn't have any visible reminders and I'm grateful for that but…it's too much. The war still happened, I'm still the daughter, the ignorant daughter, of a terrorist. My dad can't stand to be over here for more than few weeks at a time. It was a little easier when you were in San Diego and we could escape the east for a few days and it's a good thing Char and Joe are still in the UK! I know nobody knows, but I do and that's enough to make me uncomfortable. And, well, we miss everyone, although if we're over there, we'll miss you all, Rob and Ellie. The difference is that her hatred doesn't cloud everything in the UK."
Tim looked at her, folding his lips in to prevent loud happy noises escaping from his mouth. For one thing, considering her reasons, for another because he needed to make sure she had all the information she needed. He looked at her with affection, "I'm sure your AD has said this to you but I'll repeat it anyway. If you move back to London or to any overseas office, you'll eliminate any chance of you being on the watch list for the directorship. You've spent too much of your career over there already, but have a pass because of the war. Any more will move you right off any lists."
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. He continued, "I don't mean to succeed me, you know we can't do that, but to succeed whoever comes after me. You're young enough to do that and I doubt anyone will match or surpass Leon's longevity in office. I'm certainly not planning on it!"
She closed her mouth then, taking a deep breath. "Would you…not for me in particular but now that you've been in it for a few months, would you recommend the position?"
"I believe you'd be great at it. You have the people skills, the organizational skills, the knowledge of how the agency runs, the needs of both overseas and US based offices and you will have the experience you need in another few years."
She looked at him, ready to say that's not exactly what she asked but then realized he'd answered her the only way he could. Tim would never discourage anyone from doing something unless it was dangerous, illegal or the worst thing possible for that individual.
She hadn't considered being in the running or on someone's list for the directorship and she didn't think she wanted to be. She liked what she did now, it was challenging without being overwhelming. Although the position had its moments, it wasn't overwhelming on a daily basis.
Tim smiled, "That's a lot to think about, huh? You know, Leon's a good resource. Let me know if you still want to go back to London."
"I will but what would happen to Melankovic?"
He grinned, "No worries!"
As it happened, he'd been mulling over the Northwest office. Richard Owens had recently mentioned that he would submit his retirement papers sometime soon. He was only 58, old enough to draw his pension but Tim knew it was his health that was driving the retirement. He'd had a few people in mind for the office, including Ralph Wong, who'd recently told him he was ready for a change.
The way Tim saw it, there were only two SSAICS qualified for the office Wong currently led. One was Melankovic and the other he couldn't in good conscience assign to the Southeast office. It was still too close to her terrorist mother's territory and he just wouldn't do that to Special Agent Bec Childers and now he knew he'd been right to think that way. However, depending on Bec's answer, he might have solutions for several positions.
He didn't hear anything more until the next day. He was in the pool swimming laps, the kids, Uncle Geordie, Grandma and Grandpa on a nature walk while Artie was in a meeting. Bec walked into the pool room, sitting on one of the benches. He swam to the side asking, "Everything okay?"
"Yes, Geo and I have talked, I also chatted online with Leon and my dad. I'm not interested in what you suggested, we just want to move home, to the UK. If that's possible."
He let his smile answer her and Bec breathed a sigh of relief. Geo said he didn't think Tim specifically wanted her to take on the whole agency, but it was still good to know for certain. He finally said, "Thank you, sis, thank you! You'll know when to start packing."
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, jumped into the pool and they raced each other for a few minutes.
That night, Tim again sat in the family room, absently listening to the conversations flowing around him. He was still pondering how to handle the switch. Then he grinned, that was it, it would just be a swap. He relaxed, his thoughts returning to the present.
Across the room, Dad smiled, glad his son was done 'empire building' as Pete Russell used to say about Leon. He thought about Tim's swim with his daughter-in-law, hoping that their happy demeanors afterward might mean that Bec and Geordie were returning to Europe. Geordie had confided in him about Bec's continuing difficulty working in the U.S.
Three weeks later,there was another shift of SSAICs announced. Richard Owens, the current SSAIC of the Northwest Field Office, announced his retirement. Jane Melankovic was promoted to the Southeast Field Office, Bec Childers was promoted to the European Field Office from the Norfolk Field Office, Ned Dorneget Langston was promoted from SAIC of the Little Creek sub office to the SSAIC position of the Norfolk Field Office and Ralph Wong was transferred to the Northwest Field Office from the Southeast Field Office.
Tim slept very well the night after the announcements were made, happy to have Richard safely retired, Wong happy with his new assignment, Melankovic happy to be home again, Ned surprised and excited about his promotion and Geo and Bec back in the UK. Not only were they in good positions, Tim finally realized that he could whittle down the list of suggested replacements for the directorship.
That left only Rob and Ellie in the U.S. with them. Tim wasn't worried about them as Ellie had given away their game plan when she'd stumbled over the first word, 'When' while announcing their move to the U.S. He believed they only intended to stay in the U.S. while he was in office. He appreciated that.
Alan had also let slip that he'd be happy to spend the rest of his career in Marseilles and Barry said the same thing to the AD he reported to. Bill, Freddie and Joe and their partners were happy in the UK. Freddie was getting a little bolder as he grew more secure in his relationships, with Abby, their parents and the family in general. In the past year, they'd done some traveling on their own, first taking the train to visit Barry and Alan and on another trip venturing as far as the Netherlands, again by train, on their own. When she'd heard about the trip to France, Lu was so excited that she called Nate, still going strong in Texas, to tell him. The two of them had worried about Freddie since he first appeared at Nate's camp. Some of their worry had dissipated as Freddie and Joe's business grew and later, when he and Abby started seeing each other, Freddie's parental trio made a conscious decision to put away their worry. He was doing just fine, as long as he was allowed to be himself.
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Now, Tim shook his head as he was driven home to Brambury from his Thursday visit to the agency. It had been great to see Bec in his old office, where he felt she belonged, running the agency in Europe. He hadn't stayed long at the office, he knew that mean ol' jet lag would kick in soon and he wanted to see how Hope was doing this morning and spend time with all of his kids. They had school assignments to do before they started their Brambury classes on Monday.
Tim grinned when he realized Jed would be in First Year with Jilly Mallard. Those two loved each other like brother and sister and indeed, had been raised, thus far, in a close-knit family. He also liked that Bill and Nikki's new kids would be in classes with his kids as well as the Mallard children.
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Hope had her first infusion Friday morning. She did all right, the pills hadn't bothered her and her parents thought that by the end of the following week they'd be able to see some improvement. While Hope's illness still frightened them, they now had more faith that she'd make a full recovery.
Although Hope didn't hate needles as much as her little brother did, she wasn't happy getting jabbed either on Friday for her first infusion or Saturday for her second. Knowing that the port would eliminate the need for a new jab for each infusion helped her get through the implantation.
When they returned from the outpatient surgery on Saturday, the little girl went to bed, sleeping until she was wakened to eat something for dinner and another pill. By Sunday morning, she was over the jabs, although she had even less energy than her new 'normal'. Having been warned of this by the doctors, everyone tried not to worry.
Tim went into the office on Monday, while the kids went to school and Artie and Lu prepared Hope's lessons for her. For the next two weeks, Hope's infusions were scheduled in the mornings and Tim would go into work afterward. Wanting to participate in her homeschooling and to attend medical appointments with his daughter and wife, he worked through lunch most days.
With Hope's frequent naps throughout the day, Tim found she was alert enough in the evenings after dinner for an hour of class. He and Artie rotated teaching their daughter her math and science classes while James and Sarah rotated teaching her English, Geo taught her history via Skype, Grandpa taught her geography and also via Skype, Fiona Clacher and Uncle Barry rotated teaching her ancient and modern languages. The rest of her lessons were split between Lu, Artie, Edith and George Powell.
As Hope started to slowly inch toward feeling better, her love of learning was one of the first things to start reappearing. Eventually, she'd be able to attend school via Skype but that probably wouldn't happen for several months, perhaps not until late in the school year.
Happily, she had Tasha, Bill and Nikki's foster daughter, as a classmate. Tasha also had to be careful with her immune system, although she was much stronger than she'd been when her foster parents brought her home to Brambury. The two young girls became fast friends, Tasha sometimes joining Hope for classes as they were both in Year 4 of their primary school education. They played together at Tasha's house to give Hope a change. Having grown up with his frequently ill sister, Will was very careful about washing up before he got anywhere near either Tasha or Hope and Hope's siblings and other cousins quickly learned from him.
Their second weekend home, the family celebrated Rissa's 11th birthday. For her party, she, three of her best friends, those with whom she'd kept in close contact, and her mother and father went into London to see the play "Wicked", having tea and cake out afterward. The girls loved the play and the tea and Rissa told her parents later that as much as she loved the Arlington house and was very sorry that Hope was so sick, she was happy to celebrate her birthday in London.
Her family party the next day was also fun. Uncle Rob had flown home during the week, so he, Aunt Ellie, the cousins, Grandma Barb and Grandpa Jerry attended the party via Skype as did most of the Greek family and the Porters. Sophia and Mimi flew in for a few days visit while Aunty Susannah, Uncle Ian and little Anna and baby Brian took the train down for a visit, staying over Saturday night. The DiNozzos drove over from Jaxton on Sunday.
Hope, Tasha and Nikki greeted everyone from the second floor of the Manor waving to the crowd but didn't come downstairs. Nikki was fine, merely supporting the girls, and the physical distance was at the request of Hope's doctor, who didn't want to take any chance with her patient's recovery. During the party, Mimi, Sophia, the aunts and uncles donned masks and gloves, spending time upstairs with the girls.
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Over the next weeks and months, Hope's health slowly began to return. By the end of her second month of treatment, she was doing as well in her classes as she had before being stricken by her illness. Not only was she learning at her normal speed, she was asking questions and thoroughly enjoying herself. At this point, her doctor and Tasha's doctor agreed they could be taught together and that did wonders for both girls. Having been born with her condition, Tasha had, at best, a spotty attendance at school, and she'd never enjoyed her classes. Over the weeks while she and Hope learned via homeschooling, she quickly caught Hope's enthusiasm and started to think of lessons, learning new things and school in a more positive way.
Nikki and Bill were thrilled and Tasha's big brother Will was also happy. Before they were killed, their original parents worked long hours to make ends meet and even while they were in daycare after school, he'd started teaching his little sister what he learned in school. Now he started to relax when their new parents thanked him and told him they would also help Tasha, along with their grandparents, aunties and uncles.
By mid-October, the Gibbses' belongings arrived and by the end of the month when their rooms at the Manor were vacated and cleaned, they moved home, happily sleeping in their own beds, in their old rooms. Her parents were cautiously happy when Hope insisted on sleeping upstairs in her old room with Rissa. While she didn't run up or down the stairs as she'd done before her illness, she could handle one roundtrip a day. If she needed something outside of that roundtrip, someone would get it for her or carry her up or down the stairs.
Rob, Ellie and the children arrived before the November birthdays, staying with the DiNozzos while the adults settled into their new jobs and their girls, now 5, moved from their kindergarten classes in the U.S. to Reception here while the little boys enjoyed going to a local nursery school.
They'd stay in Jaxton through Christmas, beginning their search for a new home after the holidays. While they'd see how they liked Jaxton, both Ellie and Rob thought they'd look in Brambury as it was more affordable.
Tim and Jimmy thoroughly enjoyed celebrating their birthdays together in November, they'd partied via Skype the year before but this was much more fun. Not only were all of Jimmy's parents there as well as Tim, Rob and their families, the only Gibbses on Skype were Barry and his family as Alan's team was on call that weekend.
At dinner the day of Tim's actual birthday, Patrick raised his hand for attention after they'd finished with presents and cake. When everyone at the table grew quiet, Pat smiled, moved his wheelchair backward and stood up. He waited several seconds to make sure he had his balance before he took a cane from his dad and then walked carefully to his brother, saying softly, "Happy Birthday, Timmy, thank you for giving me my life back."
Tim stood, tears streaming down his face, gently wrapping his arms around Twick, as the family erupted in cheers and applause. While Jethro and Lu knew of Pat's efforts to stand, balance and walk, they'd kept it secret since they lived in San Diego. Patrick wanted to surprise Tim, crediting him for saving his life, the lives of their sons and making the three of them part of this family.
While he could walk now, he couldn't walk very far or for very long. However, here he was standing after walking on his own two feet to his brother. Dad brought the wheelchair over as he wasn't sure if Pat would be able to walk back to his place at the table. Smiling, Pat thanked him, saying, "I can walk about 20 feet before my legs give out. I reached 20 feet about 6 months ago and haven't been able to get any farther. And I can stand about 15 minutes. The doctors say that's probably it. It's enough, I can stand and walk and I never thought that would happen again!" He leaned into his brother's arms, whispering, "Happy Birthday, Muth!"
Greg, Kyle and Sarah, Penny, Maisie, Lu and Jethro joined them, celebrating his triumphant return from the comatose 'sleeping man' he'd been for nearly 8 years.
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By Thanksgiving weekend, Hope was given permission to say hello to everyone downstairs as long as she kept her face mask and gloves on. All attendees were advised of both Hope and Tasha's conditions and were told, nicely, not to touch either girl and if anyone had a cold, cough or felt like they had one coming on, to stay home. The Gibbses promised to invite them to dinner when they were feeling better.
Tasha remained upstairs, her adults rotating spending time with her. She was doing really well and Nikki and Bill didn't want to risk messing that up.
Unfortunately, Gail Fornell caught a cold shortly after Tim and Jimmy's birthday celebration and by Thanksgiving, Tobias and Cesar also had it. Emily and Pauley lived and worked in London and while they didn't live with their parents and didn't have the cold, they felt they should take care of them. So there were no Fornells at Thanksgiving for the first time since the beginning of the war, although of course the senior and junior Gibbses had been missing last year.
Alan, Barry and their daughter Madilyn flew over that weekend, relaxing with the family for their celebration of the holiday. Barry almost cried when he saw his parents and Tim, he was so happy they were home, although Hope's illness had been terrifying. He'd been with her on Skype enough now, working on her language lessons, to recognize her improvement. Still, she had a long way to go to returning to the vibrant, active child she'd been.
Leon, Dani, Brody, Jared and Kayla Vance were there for the Thanksgiving celebration as well as all of the NCIS American expats. Before dinner, they had a Skype call with Leon's friend Pete Russell and his family in Greece, as they also hosted the NCIS staff and other American expats for the holiday. That was fun as the staff from both offices waved and called hellos to each other. While the Field Team, INV agents and Intel Analysts knew their counterparts in other offices, other NCIS employees had less interaction with the staff of other offices, so this was fun for all of them.
Geo and Bec were always happy to see Bec's former co-workers, in particular, the Athens' office manager Kim and her husband Evander, who'd been part of the couple's first meeting in a coffee shop on the island of Aegina 8 years ago. The most fun, however, was watching and listening to Leon and Pete Russell teasing each other. Pete had another Leon story to tell, he'd had one every time Tim had seen the man and that day was no different. To Tim's surprise, the man also told a story about him, causing surprised laughter from all the NCIS'ers. Tim grinned, he didn't mind, it felt good to be included by Pete Russell, legendary storyteller. And it was great to see Joel's former SFA, Lydia, Marty and their children.
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By Hope's birthday in December, she was allowed to eat with everyone for her family party. Her 'friends' party included a viewing, via Skype, of a new movie with her friends from Nursery School and Reception attending via their own Skype session. Tasha was allowed to watch with Hope, much to the joy of both girls. Not only was it fun, but Tasha became better acquainted with the other girls. Tim, Artie, Jethro and Lu were amazed at how much the other children had grown! They were used to their children growing up but it was a bit of a shock to see Hope's fellow babies, toddlers and preschoolers from Nursery School and Reception, now half-grown at age 8 or 9.
Of special importance that month was Andy's 21st birthday. He brought Louise home with him for his family birthday party and while his uncles tried their best to behave, they had a great time. Andy, Greg and Kyle had always loved listening and watching Papa and his brothers together and today was no different. He'd warned Louise, as this was her first exposure to all the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in one place. Having met two of his uncles on her family's visit to Virginia, she wasn't worried and had a wonderful time, laughing until her sides hurt.
With an occasion so noteworthy, part of his Greek family was there, too, Mimi, Yaya, Aunts Gaia and Susannah, Uncles Ian, Nik, Sergio, Theo and his cousins, Matthaíos, Cassie, Katerina, Damaris, little Anna and Brian either flew or took the train for the weekend. He was surprised to receive a greeting from his Lekkas grandfather and his family and happy that his cousin Ainsley called in with the Porters while Aunt Ana and those cousins also joined the party via Skype.
While Andy would eventually forget some of the details, he had photos and videos to remember his party. Although with sore ribs from laughing so much and so hard and it having been Louise's introduction to the whole family, he wasn't likely to forget! One of the things that particularly satisfied him was that his family and friends accepted Louise as she was, no one made a fuss over her and Louise agreed with his assessment of his father and uncles together.
Later that month, the Gibbses gathered again, this time for Christmas. When they put the tree up, Kyle, still the bellwether of the junior Gibbses, commented on their tree the previous year.
As they dusted off their UK artificial tree, he shook his head, "This tree will look great when it's all decorated but we won't have as much fun today as we did last year when we went out into our own woods and found the tree our friends marked for us the year before. And then we got to watch it being cut down! The helpers brought it from the woods to the house by sled, which was really cool!"
His family smiled, remembering how much fun, how different it'd been. When Tim and Artie were alone that night, Artie wondered if they should alternate spending Christmas here and in Arlington. Tim smiled, "If we can make it work with Hope's treatments next year, that's a great idea! Maybe have a planeload of folks join us."
Artie nodded, "Hope will be into her second year of treatments, maybe she won't need 5 per week, then we can work around it."
Tim started to point out that their daughter would probably still need multiple infusions per week but decided to leave it. They'd worry about that next year!
Christmas was even more joyous this year with the reunited family, the addition of Tasha and Will to the family and Hope's steady, albeit slower than anyone would like, return to health. She and Tasha laughed happily when they realized that everyone there wore face masks and gloves.
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After Christmas, the family traveled to Sandringham to visit the Royal Family. They'd seen them at Balmoral last summer, their first visit since their trip to Balmoral the year before. Although the Windsors, that is Louise's parents and brother, had visited Virginia last spring, it would be good to see Greg and Kyle's cousins. To her joy, Hope was allowed to go, as they'd only be away overnight and could schedule her infusions around the trip. She wore a face mask and gloves except when they first met with the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth seemed as healthy as always and was relieved and happy to see that Hope was indeed recovering. She'd been worried about the little girl since seeing her at Balmoral last summer. Hope showed her the mask and gloves and Her Majesty insisted she put them on.
Tim was surprised when the Queen pulled him aside, asking how long he intended to continue as the director. At the look on his face, she chuckled, "I told you when we first met that I want to put you up for an honorary knighthood but I cannot until you retire!"
He blushed before saying, "My first anniversary as Director is next week. I've planned all along to serve 4 years, I'll retire in 2028. Jed, Hope, Rissa and Kyle will still be at home with us."
She nodded, "I shall hold you to that, although if you decide to retire earlier, I'll certainly support your decision."
As they had before, they enjoyed several hours of cross-country skiing, Jed thrilled that he was allowed to join them, while Hope stayed inside, enjoying a indoor swim with her grandmother. Her Majesty and Patrick had a brief ride in her magnificent sleigh. She'd been thrilled to see his new skills, telling him how proud she was of his perseverance. With a smile, he told her it was more stubbornness than anything else. She laughed at that, admitting she too could be stubborn.
While Andy and Louise were enjoying their relationship, Andy told his parents they wanted to wait to make any changes until they both had their degrees, in another year. In the meantime, Andy said he was slowly learning more about the Royal Family and what they called "The Firm". Although Louise wasn't expected to take an active part in it, she would be self-supporting, they both thought and their parents agreed, that he should be aware.
Driving home the next morning, Tim was quiet. Once home, they offloaded everyone and their luggage and then Tim, Dad and Hope left again, heading for the local hospital for her infusion.
While Hope was having her 'drip', as she called it, Tim's father joined him for a walk in the winter garden. "What's up, Timomine?"
"The Queen will be 100 in another year, April 2026."
"Yes. Her mother lived to be 101. The Powells and Clachers believe her daughter will live longer."
"Dad, she wants to give me an honorary knighthood. But she can't until I've retired from the agency."
His father's eyebrows flew up his forehead in surprise and then he smiled, "So how much do you like being director?"
"It's weird. Although it's somehow easier over here, I guess because we don't have politicians or many of the Brass dropping in, I do miss working aboard the Navy Yard. I miss my office there. I miss seeing those agents, those analysts and everyone else."
"Because it's where you really began your career and where you thought you'd end it?"
Tim stopped to think about that, finally nodding, "Yeah, that feels right, thanks. Not just where but with some of the same people."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"No I guess it doesn't. It's all right. I think I'm the interim guy. Morrow built the agency up after NIS and left what he believed was a strong agency, his legacy. Shepard played him and everyone else and well, we survived. Sorry, I know you were close."
Jethro shook his head, "Doesn't excuse what she did the agency, to Tony and Ziva or to us with that black ship, the Chimera. We saved our own necks, no thanks to her. Same for the agency."
"Yes, as I said, we survived despite her obsession and machinations. Then, despite his own rough start, Leon worked his ass off building the agency back up again. Then he stayed, through Jackie's murder, his battle with cancer and then his illness and the war. He stayed, he provided stability and balance before handing the office to me. I've made some changes to further strengthen the agency and will make a few more before I leave but I have never seen myself staying for more than a few years. I told Artie that four years would be my maximum and now I'm thinking about that."
"Less? More? Three years, two?"
"I'm not sure yet and I don't want to do this based on an honorary knighthood, although my decision might be based on making Her Majesty happy. Still, I have a duty and obligation to the agency and our country. I need to continue working on my suggested list of replacements, see what I think they might need to experience over the next few years."
"You know who you want?"
"Yes. My top choice is Cassie Yates. She's worked in several offices, including overseas and she's doing fine with the Brass in San Diego. You know, that seems to be a testing ground. If you do well with the Brass, you'll do well as Director. Even though the politicians are far worse than the Brass."
"That's because you worked with the Brass on the MCRT. Keep in mind that when the Brass like you, even retired Brass, they can be helpful."
Tim laughed, "Very true." He thought for a moment, "Who do you think would make a good SecNav?"
"After Porter? That's a tough question to answer, she's changed that job, owned it, for a long time now. Uh, Dave would be great."
Tim looked at him and they both dissolved into laughter. Tim's godfather, Retired Admiral Crane, would likely rather chew glass than lead the Navy as Secretary or do anything else political.
Tim nodded when Dad admitted he really hadn't paid much attention to what was going on in DC, even while they lived there. "As long as you or the agency wasn't involved, it didn't matter. You have someone in mind?"
"There's an undersecretary who would be good at it. Both Leon and I have worked with her."
"You know something about Porter?"
Tim shook his head. "No, just wondering."
"All right, so 3 more years, subject to change. And I know we're staying here, at least until Hope is through her treatments or is an adult on her own, whichever comes first."
"We're praying she'll be in that 12% who is free of symptoms during their teen years."
"Yes, we're doing that too."
Tim smiled, "I know, the whole family is. However, our plans are to stay until Jed is through secondary school. Even then, we don't plan to move. We'll likely travel, staying in Arlington for a few weeks or a couple of months but be here most of the year. Artie's had to put her business plans on hold again. That was a tough decision but we decided with my guaranteed income and benefits, even if the US eventually offers Hope's treatment, we'd best stick with me remaining with the agency."
"And I know as a retired federal agent that you'll keep most of your benefits."
"That and continuing to live in the UK. As long as we can continue to buy into the NHS, we're staying here. We have been thinking about one of us becoming a citizen of the UK, then Hope can become one, too. We'd both feel better about her continuing health."
"But you can't as long as you're the Director of NCIS."
"Right, or a federal agent or intel analyst. Artie is very interested in having dual citizenship, considering this is the only country she's lived in for any length of time. And she loves it here, feels part of it."
"Don't you?"
"Yes, I love it here." He chuckled, "I loved it in Arlington, too. If we can figure out how to handle Hope's infusions, we'd like to alternate homes for Christmases, one year here, one year there."
"In time to cut down the tree?"
"Yes and go skiing and sledding in our own backyard." Tim laughed, "I never thought I'd want to return to DC in the winter!"
"I understand. Since the first Christmas with Greg and Kyle, winter was actually fun there. Speaking of fun, I know it's nearly 6 months in the future but what about going to Maine and Greece next year?"
Tim sighed, "Rob thinks Maine is probably out of the picture with the long flight, for 2025, anyway. He's working on a way to give Hope her infusions in Greece. He's qualified to do it, but there's legal stuff that has to happen. Our doctor and cousin Cassie, who's now a licensed physician in Greece, is helping him. We're researching scuba gear to see if that will be enough to protect Hope from bacteria in the ocean. We'll see how that plays out. If she can't swim in the ocean, then Peter Lekkas and his wife have offered their pool to Hope, Tasha and Nikki on a daily basis. That's different from usual as they'll be home, not visiting Rhode's family in Thessaloniki as they do at Easter."
"Wow, that's wonderful!"
Tim nodded, "It is. Hope is his granddaughter and they want to help however they can." He smiled, "Remember, Peter met her before anyone in the family but Artie. I wonder how he felt that day, meeting his oldest daughter for the first time, with a baby he knew wasn't hers?"
"You should ask him."
"If we get to Greece next year, I will. Both Artie and Susannah would like to get to know him better. And the Lekkas' kids are older now, won't be as awkward as it might have been a few years ago."
"The facts that Sophia and Richard are as good as married and Richard's met them wouldn't have anything to do with it?"
Tim chuckled, "It might, yes."
The two men were back inside now, standing in the waiting room. One of Hope's medical people poked her head out of the treatment room and beckoned to Tim with a smile. Hope's 'drip' was done and she'd be ready to go in a couple of minutes.
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In February, the family flew to Scotland for a ski vacation during the kids' half-term. Andy, Louise and her family joined them. Because the treatment for Hope's illness was available throughout the UK, they'd arranged for her infusions to be given in an outpatient clinic close to the ski resort. As they were there for a week, they had a vacation rental while Louise and her family stayed in a hotel not far from them. Hope stayed off the bigger slopes, sticking to cross-country, snowshoeing and sleigh riding. The Mallards and the Rob Gibbses were with the group, staying in Airbnbs or vacation rentals. Little Donnie Mallard and his birth-year mates, Teddy and Adam Gibbs, joined Hope, Jed, Jilly Mallard, Timi and Ro on the sleigh rides.
By Jed's 7th birthday at the end of April, the family knew they weren't going to Maine this year but would be going to Greece twice! Once Rob and the rest of Hope's doctors had all the legalities approved, there was no reason the family couldn't go. The difference in the number of hours in the flights, 3 ½ hours to Athens as opposed to 7 ½ to Boston and the fact that Hope could have her infusions made the decision an easy one.
In early June, Tim, Artie, their kids, excluding Andy who was not on break, Rob, Ellie and their kids, Jethro, Lu, Nikki, Bill and their kids, the DiNozzos, Vances and Fornells met the Porters and Richard Baxter, who'd flown in on a red-eye overnight, at the airfield, leaving for Athens within hours of the schools letting out for the half-term holiday, stopping first in Marseille to pick up Barry, Alan and Maddie. The rest of the family would leave in the morning for their trip to Sandy Pine Resort.
Without Ellie, Rob and the grandbabies, the Bishops had decided to skip Maine this year and would instead bring the whole family to Varkiza in July. While Jimmy was a little nervous about being at Sandy Pine without all the protection he usually had from Ed Slater, his dad, Geo, Joe, Freddie and Ben reassured him they had his back. Abby also reassured him, saying both her brothers had promised to help.
This year, Menolly would fly to the UK with Abby and Freddie to spend the summer, returning to the U.S. in August with the Porters, Richard Baxter and Ainsley Hubbard. Although she was old enough to fly on her own, on the way home, Abby's brother Kyle, now Uncle Kyle to Menolly, would meet her at the Boston airfield and accompany her to New Orleans. While the girl would spend plenty of time with Aunt Abby and Uncle Freddie, she'd stay at the Manor where there were other kids to hang out with.
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Their June trip to Greece was a blast and did a world of good for Hope and Tasha both. Tasha's brother Will also enjoyed himself, swimming and playing in the ocean every day. While Nikki, Hope and Tasha swam in the Lekkas' pool every day, Hope and Tasha's physicians had approved the two girls swimming in the Mediterranean sea. The bacteria level in the surrounding water was deemed acceptable for both girls, as long as they took showers after swimming. The schedule was soon established. For five mornings, Saturday, Monday through Thursday, Hope, Dr. Rob and one of her parents or grandparents drove into Athens for her infusion. Once they were back, she was free for the day. As they didn't have to leave for home until the second Sunday, that meant Hope had three whole and one half days at the beach without having to go anywhere!
Young Maddie, Barry and Alan's daughter, usually only saw her cousins, uncles and aunties on holidays, although her grandparents visited more often and always came for her birthday. Now, living in the midst of them for 2 weeks meant she had a wonderful time, playing with all the kids and being thoroughly spoiled by her grandparents and great-grandmother. She was really glad they'd come back here in a couple of months.
Everyone felt that way, it was a lot easier to leave knowing they'd be back soon. Mimi even went home with them, planning to visit Susannah and her family in Edinburgh for a few days before returning to Brambury. There she'd stay, traveling to Athens with them in July. When they left Athens in August, she'd fly home with Nic and his family for a few weeks in Sorrento.
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Before they left Varkiza in June, Tim had an email from Secretary Porter. The information was not a surprise, he'd already warned his family. He was needed, in person, for budget hearings in DC.
Back at work on Monday, he spent the next three days making sure he was as prepared as possible before flying to DC on Thursday. While he hoped to be gone just a week, he knew better than to take that for granted. He let the Carters and O'Briens, once again living on the property, know and then decided to stay in one of the suites.
Rob reminded him that he'd left his Cal-King mattress and frame when they moved back, opting instead to buy a new bed. Before he left, Tim was surprised by a request from Jim and Claire Hubbard who'd stayed behind in Massachusetts after leaving Sandy Pines, spending a few extra days with Ainsley. Now they asked if they could join him in Arlington. They hadn't had a chance to visit while the family lived here. Their plan to join them for Thanksgiving last year had been thwarted by Hope's illness and the sudden return of the family to the UK. Tim was happy to have them with him, he loved his uncle and aunt dearly and felt he never had enough time with them. With Ainsley at Harvard and Cal attending university in Wales, the couple was frequently away, either traveling or visiting one of the kids.
Landing at JBAB Thursday afternoon, Tim was grateful to find his security detail waiting for him. He smiled at the drive, remembering how long and uncomfortable the ride had been a few years ago. Now he was at the house in less than 20 minutes, with traffic.
He called home to tell them he'd arrived and to say goodnight to Jed and Hope. Although it was too early for Rissa, Kyle and Greg's bedtimes, he said goodnight to them, too. He spoke with his parents, Uncle LJ and finally his wife before disconnecting. Tomorrow they'd have lunch and dinner together over Skype, as they'd done when he was in Newport.
He'd intended to move Rob and Ellie's old bed into Patrick's former suite and was surprised to find it already there when he walked in. He smiled, thankful for the always thoughtful Carters and O'Briens! Both couples were living in the house, in the row of suites formerly occupied by the senior Gibbses, Maisie, Mac, Penny and Uncle LJ.
As he stood in the house looking around, he sighed, remembering their near-panicked packing and leaving last September. He walked upstairs, smiling at the kids' rooms, already missing them and their mother. He huffed to himself, Secretaries Porter and Becker had been very supportive of him running the agency from London, the least he could do is show up in person once in a while!
Back downstairs, he put his clothes away, wishing he'd thought to stop at the dry cleaners on the way home. With a huff at his absentmindedness, he texted his team lead, apologizing for his oversight and asking that someone take him and his suits to the dry cleaners so he could pick them up Friday afternoon. After he'd found a place for everything, he pulled sheets, pillows and blankets out of the linen closet and made up his bed.
He chuckled at the reply to his text, saying they'd take them now. Gathering his suits, dress shirts and ties, he met one of the detail at the front door. "Sorry I didn't think of this earlier!" Then he smiled, it was Agent Uhl, who'd led his team in Newport. Reaching through the suits, he shook the man's hand. "Special Agent Uhl, it's great to see you again!"
"And you, Director! We'll pick these up for you tomorrow."
That taken care of, Tim poked through the kitchen, thinking he'd put something together for dinner. The Hubbards were taking the train down from Boston and renting a car, they should arrive within the hour.
He was happily chopping, slicing and dicing vegetables when his cell chimed with a call. He smiled at the caller ID, Ned!
"Director, just wanted to give you a quick call to welcome you home for a few days."
"Thanks, my friend. Hey, any chance of you two visiting over the weekend?"
"Yes, that's one of the reasons I called, didn't know what plans you might have. The kids and Granddad are with Trinity this weekend, so yes, Daniel and I would like to drive up to see you."
"Excellent! The Hubbards will be here too, but you know there's plenty of room. Why don't you two plan to spend the night – or stay all weekend?"
"Thanks! How about we aim for early Saturday afternoon and stay over? We won't stay all day Sunday, I'm sure you have prep work to do for your meetings next week."
"Nah, I'm meeting with Secretary Porter tomorrow, we'll knock that out. Of course, as one of my ADs, you could come with me on Monday."
Ned tried not to squeak as Tim laughed. "Relax, I'm just yanking your chain!"
After the call, he resumed slicing and dicing, hungrily thinking about dinner, when he heard a vehicle drive onto the property. Wiping his hands, he opened to the front door, smiling at his aunt and uncle. "Hi, Hubbards, welcome!"
Exchanging hugs, he helped them bring their bags inside. They were staying in Penny's former suite. Claire was happy he was staying downstairs, saying she'd been afraid he'd be too lonely up there by himself. He nodded in agreement. "I've already been up there, it's too quiet without the kids. Came right back down!"
"When is your first meeting?"
"Monday morning. Tomorrow, I'll work aboard the Navy Yard and then I have a late morning meeting at the Pentagon. I wanted to give myself time to get through any jet lag, show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."
Claire nodded, "Are you ready then?"
"Yes, Aunty. My detail just took my suits to the cleaners for a last minute press, I had a haircut before I left, so other than polishing my shoes, I'm ready."
"Good!"
"So, I have about 5 more minutes of prep work to do for dinner, then I'm going swimming. Why don't you two get settled in and then join me in the pool? I want to hear all about Ainsley – and your week at Sandy Point. Oh, Ned and Daniel are coming up Saturday, they're in Norfolk now."
His uncle smiled, "Great, we saw them at the camp, it'll be fun to spend more time with them. But first, what are you making for dinner, can we help?"
"There's a grill out back so I thought I'd roast some veggies and grill chicken. First, I'll broil the chicken lightly to remove some of the fat, then marinate it for an hour or so. So there's nothing to be done there. I was thinking of doing some potatoes too. What do you think?"
Jim grinned, "I'll broil the chicken and the potatoes sound great! How about I scrub the spuds, do you want to do a pre-bake or steam in the microwave before the roast?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
They were done in a few minutes and headed out to the pool.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Friday, Tim worked aboard the Navy Yard, happy to be back for a few hours. During the SecNav's staff meeting, he smiled at the teases for being there in person, answering positively when asked about Hope's status. After Porter dismissed the others at the end of the meeting, she asked him to stay. Tim had his proposed budget, notes and questions with him and the two of them reviewed them, the Secretary saying he was well prepared and not to worry.
Back at the office in mid-afternoon, he had phone calls from Henry Sailes, the FBI Director and Beau McMillan, the CIA Director, both offering encouragement. He thanked each man, reminding them he'd been through this once before. It was Henry who told him the committee might grill him about working overseas. Tim thanked him for the tip, saying he'd assumed there would be questions. He didn't mention it on the phone calls, but on the flight over, he'd taken the time to pull together facts and figures pertaining to his running the agency from London.
He called for his detail at 5:00, wishing everyone he saw a peaceful weekend. The current MCRT had a hot case and he stopped to listen to the information they'd pulled together. When the Team Lead asked if he had any questions or tips, Tim nodded, "Sounds good. One of the things my boss always wanted to know was…" He gave them a tip his former team had frequently used. "I know it sounds old-fashioned now – and it did then. I was the tech guy on the team and sometimes I wanted to grind my teeth but a lot of times it worked."
"You were the INV agent, Sir?"
Tim laughed, "Agent Ross, I invented the INV program and was the first formal INV agent. And yes, for the first 9 years on the team, I handled all the electronics as well as being in the field. When Special Agent Eleanor Bishop joined the team, we started splitting the work."
"Oh, we know Agent Bishop. She's in London now."
Tim nodded, suddenly feeling very homesick for his old team, not just the people but the team as a unit, sitting here in this spot, analyzing evidence, running down persons of interest, figuring out bad guys and busting them. Rick, who'd been watching, came by, "Director, you'll notice Special Agent Wickes is sitting at your old desk. He asked a couple of questions when he first joined the team, maybe you can answer them."
Tim raised an eyebrow at Wickes, the junior agent. "Uh, two questions, actually, Director. One is about the backboard." He pointed behind him and Tim looked before rolling his eyes and shaking his head at Rick, who was grinning.
"You can take that down, Wickes. I put that "Venetian Snares" banner up back in 2004, when I was transferred from Norfolk to the DC MCRT. And the photos can come down too, they're my younger sister and brother who are both adults, married with kids and their own careers now."
Wickes nodded his thanks for his answer, but didn't make a move. Tim let it go, "What was your other question?"
"Oh, well, sir, I found this box in one of the desk drawers." He reached into a drawer and brought it out. Tim looked at it, looked at Rick and they both laughed. "I looked up the word in the dictionary but didn't find it."
Tim nodded, still laughing, "Google?"
"No."
"It's a made up word from the Star Trek universe. On our MCRT, we sometimes worked days at the office and in the field without breaks or going home, so I kept snacks in my desk drawer. However, my SFA was always hungry and would take them whenever I was away from my desk and locks never stopped him. He was also a technophobe, although I guess I should say more anti-geek. Anyway, I moved everything around in my desk and put geeky names on a few small boxes, including 'ramistat', hard drive and techy words that I knew he wouldn't know or even better, would scare him off. That's where I kept my snacks!"
"Your teammate did that?"
"Yes, he did. He's since reformed."
"You're still in touch with him?"
"With all but one member of our old team, Wickes. We worked together a long time."
"Are you the only one still at the agency?"
"No. We just talked about Special Agent Bishop, who joined our MCRT in 2013. My former SFA is retired but while I was SSAIC of London-Euro a few years ago, he'd cover for me when I had to be away on business. Our team lead is also retired but until I assumed the directorship, he consulted for the agency. Our lead forensic tech and Medical Examiner work in London."
"How come your former team lead doesn't consult anymore?"
Tim grinned, "We didn't find out until after we'd all moved on from the MCRT, but he's my biological father. While the agency doesn't pay him, I still consult with him!"
"Wow, sir, you've led an interesting life!"
Rick laughed, "You have no idea! Director, if you're ready?"
Tim looked at him, mischief in his eyes. "Do you know who taught me how to shoot and many of the finer points of being a field agent?" He pointed at Rick, "Special Agents Rick Carter and Jim O'Brien were my mentors. Now, I've kept you from your case for too long! Can't wait to hear what you find."
Smiling, he walked out, feeling much better. On the way home, he sent texts to Tony, Ellie, Abby, Jimmy, Ducky, Dad and after thinking about it, to Ziva.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
After a pleasant weekend full of walks in the woods with Ned and Daniel, a bike ride with Claire, plenty of pool time with everyone, Skype calls with his wife, children and parents, Tim was ready to face the budget committee on Monday. He walked into the committee room with Secretary Porter, feeling confident, prepared to answer any challenges they might throw at him.
When the first questions were about the health of his child, he wasn't surprised and although he knew why they wanted to know, he answered as if they had her best interests at heart, giving them a brief update.
"Thank you, Director Gibbs, for your candor. We do wish the best for your daughter and your family. Would it do any good to speak with the Pharmaceutical companies or the FDA?"
Tim thought for a second before taking a deep breath, "Personally, selfishly, that would be wonderful. However, my brother the doctor has done some heavy research on this and there are other conditions that affect more people here in the U.S. for which drugs and treatments are in the FDA pipelines. As much as I believe treatment for my daughter's rare condition should come first, she'd be the first to scold me, because the UK has the treatment. I don't know how many other children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with it."
After that, they settled down to business. Tim walked out a few hours later feeling almost euphoric. His budget, which included two new sub offices, new equipment, additional field and INV agents for the Asian and Australasian offices and other additional new expenses, was approved. He was especially happy about the new offices and the additional agents for the Asian and Australasian offices. They would support the Asian and Southeast Asian Field offices and their sub office and would be staffed with agents who would provide badly needed backup so the current Field and INV agents could have regularly scheduled time off. The new offices would be as centrally located as possible between the FEFO complex of offices and the SEAFO complex of offices.
After spending the rest of the day aboard the Navy Yard and checking with the Hubbards, Tim ordered the jet to be ready in the morning, he was going home!
