More to come
"Questions?" Tim asked the group around the table when Gibbs had finished the story of how they discovered their familial connection.
"Why are you changing your name?" Ellie asked softly. "You've built an exemplary career on the McGee name."
"Zee and I want our baby to be a Gibbs. I want to have the same last name as my child." Tim explained carefully. "The more I thought about it, the more hurt I was by the Admiral, my stepmother and even to some extent, by Penny. As soon as it was cinfirmed, the Gibbs family accepted me into the fold, no questions asked and accepted Ziva and our child. Our baby will call Gibbs 'Pop' or 'Poppy' and in turn, Jackson, will be Grandpa."
"That makes perfect sense, my dear lad." Ducky added supportively. "A belated congratulations to Jethro and Timothy." Ellie clinked glasses with Ducky, as did Jimmy and Breena.
Tony had been suspiciously quiet, thus far. Tony had been reflecting on everything that he'd done to Tim since they met. All the tricks, pranks, cruel taunts, nicknames and name calling. " How can you even like me, boss?" Tony asked, suddenly. "Ive tormented your son."
"You've also had his six." Gibbs argued.
Tim and Ziva were sitting at the doctors office, she'd had a scan and it hadn't been the best news, but the silver lining was that it wasn't all bad, they we're going to monitor them both closely and follow up biweekly.
"Let's get some Chicken Risotto from Servetti's." Tim offered, trying to coax Ziva out of her head space. She'd been in there ever since she found out the baby might be born early.
"Get some for you, I'm not that hungry." She muttered as they were leaving the hospital. "Zee, it's ok… we'll get through this together."
— FOUR WEEKS LATER ——
"Dad? You home?" Tim called out, coming down the basement stairs.
"Hey son, what's up?" Gibbs asked, setting down the sander and joining him on the stairs as they headed for the kitchen. Gibbs reached out and ruffled Tim's hair along the way, much to Jethro's amusement and Tim's irk.
"I need some advice." Tim sighed, sitting at the kitchen table. "I think Ziva's going to run. She's retreating into her shell again."
Gibbs' heart broke right there for Tim. The last four weeks he'd noticed the change in Ziva too. Ever since they'd found out the baby was too small. "Any chance she's still processing the news?" The older Gibbs asked, trying to be optimistic for his son.
Tim thumped his head on the counter in defeat. "The therapist at the hospital has given her some tools to help emotionally deal with what's happening, but she's not doing them." Tim sighed again. "She won't ready the nursery, I mean it's done, I've picked up the slack. But she won't even go in there. She has barely unpacked anything, when I offered she bit my head off."
"Oh son, you know Ziva needs to help herself first. Speaking of, where is she?"
"At NCIS, Tony, Kasie and Ellie are throwing her a 'sorry you're leaving and going to another department' party in the lab. I was, rather pointedly not invited." Tim said firmly.
"Tony still struggling?" Gibbs asked, curiously. He knew Tony had been struggling with this latest development. Knowing that Tim was Gibbs son, he was envious too. He'd always been in Jethro Gibbs number one spot, equal with Abby when she was there, but instead of being supportive, he was frustrated and annoyed with his former Probie.
Tim nodded in the affirmative. "Apparently, he doesn't know me anymore." Gibbs laughed at that notion, Tim hadn't changed a bit. Yeah, he'd grown up. But Tim was always that mature wanting the house and a family. That was never a secret.
"Green-eyed monster." Gibbs muttered, referring to Tony. Gibbs hadn't abandoned his relationship with Tony while trying to get to know his son better. Tony had changed when he went to San Diego. When he finally got to be reposted to the Navy Yard, he had this care-free jest for life, which he'd already had but it seemed to have increased ten fold, or as Jethro Gibbs referred to it "he's been backsliding to his Baltimore party days." Tim and Gibbs had tried to include him at every turn only to be met with cold, calculating indifference or hot seeded anger and annoyance.
Returning home to the apartment in Georgetown that they now shared, Tim had noticed Ziva's boxes were finally put away. 'That's progress.' He thought. "Zee," Tim called out and found that Ziva was in the kitchen, preparing some rice to go with the beef and broccoli casserole he'd had the slow cooker all day. "Hey," Tim said, coming up behind her and kissing her cheek
"Don't touch me!" She hissed and Tim took two steps back.
"O-Kay." Tim drawled out. 'What the hell have I done wrong now?' He thought, as he prepared to get the plates out and cutlery from the drawer.
"Tony is so insufferable." Ziva vented and Tim released a sigh of relief that for once, it wasn't his fault. "If he touches me one more time I'll break his fingers." She threatened. Tim had moved to the fridge, looking for some drinks to pull out.
"How was your trip into NCIS?" Tim asked, that topic seemed safe.
"It was ok. Keith missed me, as did Vance, he couldn't believe how big I am."
"Any day now," Tim smiled. "Yesterday, Dr Nash told us, everything is beginning to look good. Bubs is still small, but not tiny like before."
"I know Tim, I was there." Ziva snapped. "You don't need to tell me, I was there. I know pregnant brain is a thing, but I do not have it. I am not slow, I am not stupid. I am not …" Tim had to tune Ziva out before she hurt his feelings further. She continued ranting as she washed the rice and began dishing it up. "It's all your fault! I am not hungry, I'm going to bed!" She shouted, slamming the full plate of food she'd just had in her hands back down onto the bench and stormed to the bedroom.
Tim sighed, dramatically. He knew it was just the hormones, but it seemed no matter what he did. It was wrong. She was snapping with everyone.
"Ziva, how are you doing?" Ellie asked as she came into the bullpen looking for Tim. She'd agreed to come into the Navy Yard to collect Tim as it was on their way to the hospital for her latest check up.
"I'm fat, I waddle and you're in my space." Ziva replied, in a firm tone. It was almost brittle to the older Gibbs ears. "Back up!" She ordered.
Ellie retreated to her desk, startled by the older woman. They normally had such a close friendship. It's not like she was pulling a Gibbs and invading her personal space. She was a good six feet away from the Israeli.
"Zeeeeeee" Tony called out from the other side of the divider before coming round to say hello.
"Touch me and I'll kill you with this." She threatened him, holding up a paper clip. Tony almost comically skidded to a halt, just like the road runner cartoon on tv.
"Geesh Probie! She's going to start an international incident if you don't get her out of here." Tony jibed at him. "Of course, all of that." He waved, gesturing towards her angered body stance. "Your fault, McGee!"
"Gibbs!" Both Gibbses and Bishop answered simultaneously.
"Whatever, McLoser!"
"On that note, Zee we're going to be late." Tim said as he grabbed his gear, ready to leave. "Bye."
"Hey Tim, let me know." His dad called out as they were getting on the elevator.
"Get up McGee!" Ziva hissed. "My water broke!" It was 0045 and he'd only just walked in from work, less than fifteen minutes ago.
"It's time!" Tim jumped to his feet and helped Ziva as much as he could clean up, she wasn't too fussed on cleaning the floor. "Want me to help you get yourself cleaned up?" He offered.
"I am not a child, McGee." Ziva snapped at him. "I can dress myself."
"Ok." Tim said and noted that she'd called Tim McGee ever since the showdown in the bullpen almost a week ago. He knew Tony never called him Gibbs or even acknowledged that he was Jethro's son, but Ziva had always been supportive and had even called him Gibbs.
They made their way to the hospital and sleuth every contraction, vile verbal abuse was hurled Tim's way from Ziva's mouth. "Want me to tell anyone we're here?" Tim asked Ziva and she shot him a filthy look.
"Yeah, Gibbs" Jethro answered his phone. It was 0430 in the morning and the call had woken him. They were off after closing a particularly viscous case, the crime scene had looked like a blood bath. A young couple and their newborn son had been mutilated in what looked like a home invasion gone wrong, but turned out the lieutenant had been fooling around with other men and one of her her jealous lovers' killed them, convinced he was the father of their baby. The DNA hadn't matched him in the end.
"Hey Dad, wanna meet your grandchild?" Tim asked, his voice sounded wretched. Pure exhaustion, that's what Tim sounded like.
"Grandchild?" Gibbs echoed, before waking up properly. "The baby's here?"
"You have a granddaughter. We haven't named her yet. She was 1.95kg, about four pound five ounces."
"It's a girl." He beamed at his son.
"Yeah, she's in the special care nursery. She's had a bit of trouble breathing, but she's out of the woods now. She's going to be there for a few days yet. She's perfect, Dad."
"Congratulations, son. How's Zee doing?" Gibbs beamed again, he couldn't be happier.
"Look, they want me to get some sleep. Wanna swing by our apartment and get me about eleven and we can head into the hospital."
"Sure son, I'll call Jackson." Gibbs disconnected the call and a minute later, his phone pinged with an incoming photo. He couldn't see it too well on his tiny screen but he could see it was a photo of the baby.
Gibbs called his father in Stillwater and his father was beside himself with excitement and happiness, immediately he made plans to visit in DC. Promising that he'd be on a flight either tonight, or the first thing tomorrow morning.
As the morning wore on, his gut was churning. He couldn't ease it, no matter what he did. With no active cases, he assumed it was because his granddaughter was in the special care nursery and he was worried a little. But it didn't explain the level of unease he was feeling.
Finally, he'd pulled up out the front of his son's apartment, the one he and Ziva were sharing. Tim was waiting on the front porch for him. His son still looked exhausted, but he figured it was just a lack of sleep and swore he'd get Tim to have a full night sleep tonight. Tim wordlessly got in and buckled himself in before letting out a huge sigh. "She kicked me out of the delivery room, I didn't get to see her be born. I didn't get to cut the cord, nothing." Tim finally whispered. Tears forming in his eyes. "Apparently, no matter what I did it was wrong. Dr Nash came by after she was born and took me to the nursery."
Gibbs didn't say anything immediately. He was glad he didn't voice his first thought, which was 'Bitch!' "Oh Tim." Gibbs pulled over, taking his son into his arms and comforted him as he hugged the young man.
"She's been cold and calculating for days now. Didn't think she'd do that to me."
"Tim, listen to me." Jethro said earnestly. "Tim, you've done everything right! It's her, not you, ok?" Tim nodded the affirmative and he felt relieved. Even Ellie had told him he'd been nothing but supportive to Ziva.
The two men headed to Ziva's room first, intending visit with her for a few minutes. Tim could visit whenever he liked, but his father had to wait until either Tim or Ziva were there and had to wait until visiting hours began. "There you are, Tim." Dr Nash called out, excusing himself from the desk. "I have something for you." He handed Tim a large yellow envelope. It had Ziva's handwriting on the front. A simple 'Timothy' was written. "She discharged herself AMA at seven this morning." Dr Nash lowered his voice.
"Has she'd been to see the baby?" Tim asked and Gibbs immediately put his hand on his son's shoulder in support.
"Sorry Tim. She said there's a note in there." The doctor was pleased that Tim had support, he'd been afraid that this had been the young Israeli woman's plan all along. "If there's anything I can do, please let me know. For now, I suggest your Father takes you for a coffee, read what Ziva has to say and I'll see you by your daughter's bed in at twelve and we can talk more then."
"Thank you, Doc." The older Gibbs said, offering his hand of thanks.
He ushered Tim to the a table as soon as they got to the cafeteria and set out to get the coffees. "Duck," he breathed into cell, not letting his friend answer. "Need you at Georgetown Med by twelve. Meet us in the at the special care nursery at five to."
"Our wee one is here I take it?" Ducky asked, excitedly.
"It's not all sunshine and rainbows, Duck. Just meet us." Gibbs requested of his dear friend.
"Would it be better if I came now?" He asked his friend. "Dr Palmer is more than capable of running things for the day."
"Yeah, we'll be in the cafeteria until ten to twelve." He disconnected the call.
Tim emptied the contents of the envelope onto the table. There was a piece of paper that looked like printer paper folded in quarters, a set of keys for what Tim assumed was their apartment, her NCIS security access card and identification cards, her badge, the ring he'd surprised her with when they'd had their twenty week scan, the keys to her red mini and the SIM card to her cell phone, which she'd cut in quarters so it couldn't be accessed. Tossing all of it aside gently, he picked up the paper and unfolded it, smoothing it out on the table.
'Dear Tim,
I was never cut out to be a mother. I kept naively telling myself I was and it was selfish of me. I even thought I might have been, at one point. But this whole pregnancy has told me I am not.
You've never made it a secret how much you want to be a father and a have a family of your own. You'll be good at it, I have no doubt about it.
You didn't force my hand, when I said I wanted the baby, I truly felt like I did. My father knew, deep down how I am and he tried to warn you off me. You should have listened. Milek and Rivken were warning you off, maybe you should have taken the warning. Vance didn't even want you near me, you should have listened.
When our child is born, I hereby waive my parental rights and responsibilities to you, Timothy Jackson Gibbs, the biological father of our child. You'll be the best father possible to our child.
I thought I loved you, sometimes I think I might have loved you too much. I know you love me and it made me feel warm, until being warm turned to smothered.
I don't blame you for anything, except for loving me. I mostly blame Abby and perhaps myself a little.
I never meant to hurt you or lead you on. You were just someone to occupy my time with, a tool if you will. You surprised me though, I didn't think you'd be that good in bed. You're definitely better than Tony is.
I need a clean break from you, from NCIS too. Don't look for me, don't write to me, don't track me and don't contact Mossad. I have no messages for anyone and I shan't miss anyone, except maybe Ducky and his stories.
Vance knows you have my badge and my ID, it's in my resignation letter in my desk in the study. Please forward it to Vance.
Ziva'
Tim wiped the hot tears that crawled down his face away hastily as his father sat down. He handed the letter off to his Dad and cleaned his face up with the handful of napkins he'd bought to the table with their coffees. Tim felt numb, but silently drank his hot coffee. It wasn't strong enough by the Gibbs family standard, but for now, it was something
Gibbs was furious, he wanted to find her and shake some sense into her. Her written words were dismissive, mean and hurtful. He couldn't help but feel hurt. He hurt for himself, he loved her like a daughter. Most of all, he hurt for Tim. This was a gut-wrenching pain. One thing he was happy with was she specifically used the phrase "I hereby waive my parental rights and responsibilities to you, Timothy Jackson Gibbs, the biological father of our child." Meaning if she shows up later wanting parental rights, this could be used as a termination of those rights. "Bitch!" Gibbs finally said, letting his anger show. "Tim, you know how much I detest lawyers and how I feel about them."
"Yeah, rule thirteen." Tim confirmed, still staring at his coffee cup.
"We need to get this letter to a family lawyer that specialises in custody of children asap. Tobias will know someone." Gibbs advised his son. "She's waiving her parental rights. Get it submitted with the courts. If she comes back down the track, she can't sue you for custody."
"Are you sure?" He asked and the older man head slapped his son gently.
"I am sure, I got to witness Diane sling a whole heap of shit at Tobias. Ziva's got Diane beat."
Ducky had come into the cafeteria, seeing them both immediately. He was shocked to feel the anger radiating off both of them in waves. He heard his friend advising his son to get a family lawyer and from what he'd read of the situation so far, it seemed like good advice. His heart had broke for the young man, but he couldn't bring himself to disturb them. He went down to wait for them at the nursery reception, by the entrance.
