Felons In The Making?
"We have traversed this path many days before today, Jethro," Dr. Donald (Ducky) Mallard pointed out unnecessarily, his meaning both literal and metaphorical. "Yet my good man, your insistence upon pushing yourself while on the job has contributed to another serious knee injury."
Ducky grasped Jethro's elbow and guided him as he navigated the front porch steps. "The moment we get inside I want you to steer yourself to the sofa and remain there."
In no mood to respond politely and clenching his jaw from the pain coursing through his leg, Gibbs heaved his body against the front door as he twisted the knob and stumbled a path through the living room. He collapsed onto the sofa cushion and grimaced as he scooted backward to allow his spine to rest against the back frame. A seasoned Team Leader for the Naval Criminal Investigative Agency (NCIS), he scowled at the Agency's Medical Examiner.
"Elevate your leg," Ducky ordered on his way to the kitchen. He returned with a glass of water that he extended to Jethro.
Gibbs massaged his knee with both hands before reaching out to accept the water. "Thanks," he croaked. He couldn't disguise an expression of pain.
"Jethro, really, I have shared with you on many occasions my professional opinion of the abuse to which you subject your body. You have a severely damaged knee which you seem intent upon re-injuring time and again…"
"I catch dirtbags," Gibbs interrupted to defend himself.
"….when you have an entire team of younger, physically fit agents to give chase. You certainly had no business vaulting over a curb and racing half a block to take down a suspect this morning," Ducky concluded. "Here," he directed, his tone softening. He deposited two strong painkillers into Jethro's palm.
The Team Leader balked. "Just one, Duck."
"Two," Ducky contradicted with raised eyebrows. "I give the medical orders."
Jethro scowled but swallowed both pills with a sip of water. He and Dr. Mallard had maintained both a professional relationship and a personal friendship for a number of years. Though normally in charge and the proverbial last say, in medical matters Gibbs acquiesced to his colleague's expertise.
Ducky repositioned the glass from the edge of the side table to its middle. His expression softened. "I realize you don't like to admit weakness, so I will do that for you. Keep this knee elevated the rest of the afternoon and I do not want to see you within the walls of NCIS tomorrow."
Gibbs shook his head. "Can't do that. I have an ongoing case."
Ducky's tone grew clipped and impatient. "Let your team handle it. Tony has proved an excellent senior field agent, and both Kate and Timothy know how to perform their duties. Besides, they have Abby's prowess as a bonus and I will certainly keep an eye on them."
"That's just it," Jethro grumbled. "They'll behave like delinquents unsupervised." He rubbed a hand down the length of his thigh in a vain attempt to ease his knee's throbbing. "Sometimes I feel like a referee, or a kindergarten teacher, or maybe even a saint settling all of their squabbles."
Dr. Mallard remained firm. "Still, they produce excellent investigative results and will do so the rest of today and tomorrow without their leader. Now, I'm leaving this bottle of pills by the coffee pot because I know you'll hobble there the first chance you get. Take one or two every four hours. Right now it's…." Ducky consulted his wristwatch. "…half one, so half five for the next dose. Take the next dose no matter if you entertain the idea that you can grit your teeth and withstand it."
In too much pain to argue further, Jethro simply closed his blue eyes and focused on willing away the misery with his commando style power of thinking.
Ducky deposited the bottle of pain killers by the coffee pot as promised and located a pencil and paper to add a note repeating his instructions.
Jethro would find it.
In the few minutes his task had taken Jethro had fallen asleep. Ducky quietly saw himself out and drove his vintage Morgan back to his Autopsy lab.
With Abby's thirteenth birthday a few weeks behind him, NCIS Team Leader Jethro Gibbs drove to his job mulling over the reality that now all four of his children had entered their teens.
Even more confounding, when Abby entered high school in a couple of months all four of his would attend high school at the same time.
How could so many years have possibly elapsed? Just yesterday it seemed he would spend the morning's golden hour before leaving for NCIS corralling four bodies, making breakfast, and herding little people to the bus for school. Heck! It would take him countless stress filled minutes before school just locating shoes, wiping noses, signing field trip requests, drying tears, or fixing off- track backpack zippers. No matter how prepared the Marine thought he had his household the night before, something always shanghaied him in the morning.
Jethro merged into a lane of traffic and shook his head ruefully. Now his four children- correction, teens- raced out of the house totally independent of his aid.
He barely received goodbyes.
Jethro exhaled loudly. Actually, summer vacation for the four had begun five days earlier and the children appeared to still relish the idea of sleeping late and waking leisurely. Of course he had left them with their assigned chores, but even he grudgingly conceded summer meant a degree of freedom.
Tony's summer job as a lifeguard generally took him out of the house from ten in the morning until six in the evening. Despite his child's devil may care swagger, Jethro had noted obvious maturation in his son in the past months. Even on the lifeguard job less than a week Tony's boss had bragged on the teen's work ethic when he and Jethro ran into each other at the grocery.
Jethro had managed to swing by Tony's job site a couple of days before and observed his son at work before Tony noticed his dad.
Tony's focus on the pool, the swimmers, and the activities poolside impressed the Gunny.
At sixteen, his oldest took his role in the family seriously on the home front and his siblings accepted Tony as a surrogate leader when their father was not available.
Kate, a year younger than Tony, had obtained her work permit after school one day and an hour later had begun her job search. Not surprisingly, a trendy fashion store geared toward young females hired his Katie on the spot when she interviewed. The teen raced home to share the news with her dad, practically trembling with excitement. Nonetheless, Jethro proved a bit reluctant in extending permission in granting his daughter the job when he discovered the store sat in the middle of a local mall. As a parent he would have preferred a small mom and pop establishment because,… well, because he worried about his daughter's safety after dark. Kate didn't often cry, but her tears and entreaties had finally won him over to her side- but with a condition. Either he or Tony would have to pick her up and drive her home any time work kept her at the mall after dark.
As he had done with Tony, Jethro surprised Kate with an impromptu visit where he watched her interact with customers and other employees. He noted with pride that she possessed a natural poise and grace as she responded to others.
Gibbs eased his foot off of the accelerator and coasted to a stop at a traffic light. He absentmindedly tapped his long fingers against the steering wheel, his blue eyes scanning the vehicles near him as he resumed his inner musing.
Kate's more serious pragmatic nature mirrored her brother Tim's, while Tony and Abby possessed more extroverted, optimistic demeanors.
Tim, all of fourteen, snagged a job at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum after his science teacher personally recommended the young man to the Air and Space Museum's assistant director. Tim rarely caused Jethro a moment's worry. As a parent he felt confident Tim would handle himself responsibly, would earn fabulous accolades from his supervisor, and would undoubtedly learn a great deal with the experience. It never even crossed Jethro's mind to forbid Tim's summer job.
Unfortunately, with Tim he had no way to physically witness the teen at work as he had Tony and Kate. Tim's duties required he stay in the background as he worked cataloging, investigating, and researching artifacts. Thus, the Gunny made it a point to spend time each evening patiently listening to Tim's detailed and excited account of the hours he'd spent at the Museum that day.
As the past winter had morphed into spring, Abby had ignored all of the family's suggestions about earning (and securing) future summer money. In fact, the brand new teen acted annoyed when anyone even broached the suggestion that she seek summer employment. Consequently her siblings needled her, relentlessly, assuring her that she would absolutely regret not procuring a job when she had to solely rely on her allowance for spending money.
Indeed, the older three assured Abby they had no intention of lending or donating a cent of money to her over the summer break.
Apparently Abby realized they had a point by the end of May and scrambled at the last minute to find any position that would offer her a salary. Her tardiness worked against her of course and the only job available involved babysitting just one day a week.
Normally sunny Abigail turned resentful.
Even admitting to herself that she had erred, Abby still exhibited bouts of jealousy when Tony, Kate, and Timmy reminded her they would bring home checks far more sizable than she would. She didn't appreciate that her siblings had more money at their disposal specifically because they had done the legwork to ensure they snagged good jobs. The three had used their wits and not dilly dallied as she had.
Jethro had sternly pointed out to her more than once that she had chosen to procrastinate and should accept the repercussions.
At times Abby's ungracious attitude over her employment had demanded her father's intervention, and just the night before Jethro had banished her to her room. Exhausted from dealing with her sullen behavior, he had further promised that if her behavior continued to deteriorate he would spank her thirteen year old bottom.
At the rate she was going she would end up across his lap pretty soon.
Jethro accelerated with the light change and navigated his way into the Navy Yard and his chosen parking space at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. He pocketed his keys and strode thoughtfully into the building, relegating his concerns about Abby and thoughts of his children to another compartment of his mind as he readied his attention to his duties as a NCIS Team Leader.