Sorry, not sorry for the super long chapter. It was originally a 22k word chapter and I managed to shorten it dramatically, but it's still so long.
Warnings for this chapter. Definitely rated M it contains swearing, bitchy behaviour, sex, mentions of violence, gory description of a scene and an Animal death
This is my version of dog tags. It's an AU story and tweaked to fit my story.
It was late Monday evening, Tony and Ziva had already left for the evening already when Tim approached Gibbs. "Can we talk?" He asked, perching his hip the corner of Gibbs' desk.
"Work or home related, McGee?" Gibbs asked. He was already irritated, mostly at DiNozzo, but Ziva and Tim weren't totally innocent, this time. They'd pranked DiNozzo and he'd whined about the unfair bullying tactic and the prank they'd played on him, all day giving Gibbs a headache.
"Both, actually." Tim answered honestly.
"Can't right now, maybe later in the week." Gibbs dismissed him, still feeling irked at his two youngest agents. Unlike DiNozzo, they actually know better.
"Fine," Tim said firmly, as he grabbed his gear to head out. "Night!" He called out over his shoulder as he headed out.
Over a late dinner, while Kelly was at work, he called Ducky and retold him of his efforts to talk to Gibbs and how he'd been dismissed. He told Ducky that his decision to leave had been painstakingly made, but when Gibbs had dismissed him without a second thought it reiterated to him that he was making the right decision. "Ducky, I'm going to try to make Kelly stay here. Hopefully I'll be reassigned on the east coast somewhere and I can fly home on my weekends off or I can buy her a ticket to come to me." Tim explained his plan.
"Kelly is a grown woman, Timothy." Ducky added. "If she chooses to follow you, that's her choice. You can't make her stay."
"I won't let Gibbs lose his daughter." Tim said firmly. "I'd do anything to still have a parent that cared for me in my life. I don't want Kelly to lose Gibbs and I don't want Gibbs thinking I stole his daughter away from him."
"Maybe Jethro needs her to leave to get a wake up call, Timothy. You more than pull your weight in that team, Timothy." Ducky reasoned. "When do you meet the Acting Director?"
"I have a breakfast meeting with him off site." Tim confessed. "He has a full day and offered me a breakfast meeting."
"I shall miss you my dear lad." Ducky said softly. His eyes began to water at the thought that Timothy wouldn't be there, alongside him at the Navy yard everyday. "You better keep in touch."
"Absolutely, besides Kelly, I'll miss you most of all."
"I am going to get one of those phones tomorrow, you know, the one like you have where we can video chat anywhere we are." Ducky said, determined to recruit Mr Palmer into a shopping trip.
"We can do Skype dinners, hopefully." Tim suggested. He'd miss Ducky too.
"Alright Ducky, if I have time in the morning I shall let you know how I go before I go up to the bullpen. Good night Duck."
"Good night Timothy."
Meeting Acting Director Vance at four season at 0600 for a breakfast meeting was nerve wracking for Tim. The only times he'd ever faced the Director was if he was in trouble and usually Gibbs had chewed him out first.
"Relax McGee," Vance gently chastised. "Is everything ok?" He asked, seemingly genuinely concerned.
"I'd like to request a transfer." Tim resigned sadly. "I have tried to make MCRT work, but the -"
"Say no more." Vance interrupted. "DiNozzo and Miss Sciuto have a reputation. I've been Acting Director for six weeks now and I have been watching your whole team. Honestly, I don't know how you put up with it for so long. A lesser man would have snapped by now. What about Gibbs?"
"What about him? He doesn't stop them, doesn't seem to care. Certainly doesn't respect the role I play on our team."
"I see, have you approached him?"
"Yes, he told me he had no time to talk to me, suggested I come back again later in the week."
"Transfer granted, get me the paperwork by close of business today and I'll authorise it immediately. Do you have a preference on location?" Vance offered.
"Not afloat. I have an inoperable inner ear condition that renders me useless on a ship for long periods of time. Mainland USA, preferably the east coast." Tim explained, as a matter of fact. "Sir? It looks like Kelly will be coming with me, so I'd prefer for her not to be too far from her family."
"I'll see what's available, it could potentially take up to 28 days for something to become available." Vance explained. He liked Agent McGee, he wished there were more agents like him and less like DiNozzo. He respected the polite young man. He had the perfect position for Agent McGee, he just needed to bide his time so he manoeuvre McGee into the role.
"Thank you Sir." Tim said shaking his hand. "Thank you for meeting me this morning, I appreciate your time, I know you're a busy man."
"You're welcome, we are sad to lose you from the Navy Yard, but I understand your need to leave. I will also require a full report of incidents that lead to your decision." Vance added. "I do suggest you attempt to talk to Gibbs again. Not so much from a professional standpoint, but as your partner's father, it can make life easier for you and his daughter."
"I'll try." Tim promised, shaking Vance's hand.
"Duck," Gibbs greeted his friend as he entered autopsy early Tuesday morning. It was early, even Palmer hadn't arrived.
"Jethro?" I haven't got anything for yet." Ducky said dismissively, which was uncharacteristic for the Scottish ME.
"Something's going on. My gut is pinging and churning." He confided in his friend. "Can't get a read on if it's home or work so that means McGee."
"Timothy" Ducky interrupted. "Call the man Timothy, or even Tim. It's the least you could do, you call both Tony and Ziva by their given names. Does Timothy not deserve the same respect?" Ducky vented, it had been a sore point with him for a long time. 'It would go a long cementing the young man's place in his team' Ducky thought.
"He's not coping, is he?" Gibbs asked his friend softly. "When Jen rushed him back to work, he wasn't ready, was he?"
"The lad's coping fine with that. Do you remember when we went to that steakhouse a couple of months ago?" Ducky asked.
"The delicious rib eye?" Ducky nodded at his friend to continue. "You told me that McGee was being bullied by Tony and Abby and was considering taking it to Human Resources."
"After everything Timothy has copped from young Tony and Abby's shenanigans over the last couple of months, I wouldn't be surprised if he's past that point now." Ducky confided. He wasn't willing to break Timothy's confidence that he was leaving, until there was no other choice.
"I'm an idiot Duck, he's been trying to approach me with this for a while. He came to me, last night and I was worried he wanted to talk about Kelly, completely dismissed him." Gibbs explained the situation. "Sunday night, Tobias and I thought we'd take them for dinner. Dropped into Kelly's unexpectedly and … McGee and Kelly were on the sofa … not watching a movie." Gibbs flushed beet red. He implored Ducky with a look.
"Oh? Oh," understanding the father's dilemma. "They weren't dressed for the occasion, I take it."
"Ya think?!" Gibbs quipped. "I always thought if I ever walked in on my daughter doing that, the boy would meet the business end of my sniper rifle. I went into shock I think. Tobias on the other hand ranted and raved like a lunatic until McGee stood up to him and basically told him to shut up. More politely and in a lot more words." Gibbs laughed at McGee's 'always respectful' ways.
"I imagine it was quite a shock for all involved, especially you." Ducky snickered, struggling to keep a straight face. "I hope you apologised to both of them."
"Even to McGee, remembered my Dad's talk to me when Kelly was born. He said that raising boys wasn't any different from raising girls. As a father, it's your job to show your child, the qualities that they should look for in a life partner." Gibbs reflected on Jackson and made a mental note to phone his father tonight. "How'd Kelly choose Tim? He and I are nothing alike." That made Ducky laugh.
"You and Timothy are more alike than you realise. I think it's wonderful they found each other and it's a good thing for them both. Have you spent much time with them together Jethro?" Ducky asked sincerely.
"A couple of breakfasts at the diner. Honestly, although McGee's respectful, I try to avoid them as much as possible." Gibbs admitted.
"I advise you to put in the effort, what's the worst that could happen?" The door's swished open at Autopsy and in strolled McGee. "You find out you actually like the lad."
"Sorry, I'll come back later." Tim apologised softly, turning on his heel and heading up the back stairwell as fast as he entered. He hadn't wanted to disturb the friends who seemed to be having a private conversation.
"Gibbs, it's late." Vance chastised, as he came down the stairs to head home. Almost eleven, the night shift were scattered, quietly working away. Gibbs' team was long gone for the evening. "Haven't you got a home to go to?"
"Almost finished, Leon. If I get this file done, then I never have to look at today's case again. I can start fresh tomorrow."
"Say, how was McGee today?" Vance asked suddenly and Gibbs' gut pinged.
"Leon, something you need to tell me? Perhaps about McGee?" Gibbs asked, suddenly thinking something was definitely up. Gibbs knew Leon actually rated McGee as an agent. He respected McGee and his talents.
"Thinking of transferring the man, temporarily. When Director Shepard returns next month, I'll be heading up the new taskforce out of the Carolina's office. I'm hand choosing this taskforce. It's a twelve month position. He would come back here when he was finished."
"I'm not sure about this, Leon." Gibbs admitted. He felt weird about the possibility of McGee on a taskforce. Mostly because he wouldn't be there to look out for him.
"Well it's like this Gibbs, he either transfers to my taskforce or he ends up somewhere else permanently because either way he's gone. He requested the transfer, Jenny doesn't want him in this building either. We both know that."
"He wants to leave?" Gibbs asked Leon, gobsmacked. "I know he's had a rough trot lately, shouldn't he stay where he knows people?"
"Maybe he needs a break from the daily barrage of hazing, bullying and harassment, Gibbs."
"So Tony's the problem?" The older agent asked. "I'll talk to him." Gibbs offered.
"And the career saboteur? The one who refuses to hand over results so she can berate and verbally abuse him longer, therefore looking good in his team leader's eyes?" Vance asked in anger, almost tipping his hand completely.
"Abby." He said, closing his eyes in frustration. "I have spoken with her and her lab supervisor already, both assured me it was an isolated incident and wouldn't happen again."
"Not good enough!" Leon boomed. "I know of at least three other occasions it's happened. Miss Sciuto has a meeting with me at 0900 tomorrow morning, she's on her last leg here at NCIS." Leon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Afterwards, I'm calling you and Agent McGee to a meeting to make the formal offer of the taskforce to him."
"It seems like a demotion to me." Gibbs said. He put his pen down and rubbed his hand through his hair. "McGee's situation is complicated Leon, for me."
"So you are afraid that your daughter will follow him if he's transferred, that's it?" Leon asked, amused he'd managed to get one over on Gibbs. "I know all about Agent McGee and your daughter." The acting director told him.
"He told you?" Gibbs asked, surprised.
"Didn't have to, saw it with my own two eyes. The first time was when she came to drop breakfast off to him and Agent David. I didn't know she was your daughter, until after she left. She identified herself as Agent McGee's girlfriend to security. My wife and I saw them in Anacostia three weeks ago having dinner at 'Servetti's' and we saw them again, week before last, up in Reston, at the arthouse cinema." Leon explained. "They seem serious together. I'd speak to them both and soon."
"Kell, got a minute?" He asked, wincing when he saw the time. He didn't realise it was that late.
"Sure Dad, just got in from placement." Kelly answered. "You can come by, if you like, just gotta be quiet. Tim's asleep."
"Nah, it's ok, Kell. It'll keep. I'll let you go to bed. Good night baby girl." Gibbs said softly, not wanting to wake Tim. He wasn't surprised to hear that Tim was there. This week Kelly was on her first placement for her midwifery course, of course Tim would have her near the hospital because some of her shifts' finish late at night.
"Night Dad." Kelly said, suddenly yawning.
"Hey Kell, I love you." Gibbs added, wondering just how much McGee had told her about what was going on in their office.
"Love you too." She smiled into the phone.
"That was weird." Kelly muttered to herself. 'He couldn't possibly know about the transfer yet.' She thought. She'd spoken to Tim when she was on her dinner break. He'd given her a rundown on how his breakfast meeting with Director Vance went and how when he'd sought Ducky out to confide in him, Tim had found Gibbs and Ducky talking about how Gibbs had been avoiding Kelly because of Tim. The way Gibbs had said it, had made Tim think it was all his fault.
'Tim's definitely a good enough agent to be on that taskforce, that's for sure.' Gibbs thought as he hung up from his daughter. 'Question is, can I trust him with Kelly and her heart? Am I ready to take a backseat in her life and become a spectator in her life.' Gibbs sat dejectedly at his desk and let out a sigh, then groaned in frustration, before tipping his head back, closing his eyes tight and contemplating his life. 'Tim's a good man, he's a respectful, thoughtful, caring man who seems very much in love with Kelly. Kelly adores Tim, she loves him wholly and fiercely. She's a good girl, I've taught her just about all I can about self defence and reading people. If she honestly feels like she needs to follow him, then I have two choices. Forbid it - hope she doesn't cut me out of life completely and she'll leave anyway, or support them and still be kept in the loop. Vance said the assignment was only a year and he'd return to DC, maybe Kelly might stay and they try a long distance relationship. On the other hand, she could transfer to the University of North Carolina, continue studying and grow as a person, as could Tim. This is an opportunity for them both to grow, learn and become more independent. Vance would be there, he said that himself. I could always have Vance ensure Tim and Kelly would be ok. Vance would tell me, if he needed me, or if Tim got hurt.' All of a sudden, his heart ached. He knew they were both going and he knew he'd miss them both. Equally!
"Warrants came in on the drug case. We'll serve after we eat." Gibbs said as he returned from his coffee run, trying not to think of Abby, upstairs, in her meeting with the Acting Director. He was beginning to think that Abby had bought this trouble on herself. He couldn't save her this time.
Pulling up at the first premises to execute the first warrant had required some thought and planning. This suspect was more likely to fight them off than run. "McGee, go around back. Ziva, you go high, DiNozzo, go low. I've got the door."
McGee made his way round the back of the house. On the way, completing their coms check. As soon as McGee advised Gibbs he was in position. Gibbs broke the door down after announcing their arrival, as they systematically cleared the apartment. A gunshot sounded from the back of the house and Ziva took off towards the back of the property with Tony and Gibbs in tow. A second gunshot was heard just as Ziva arrived. She found Tim, laying in a pool of his own blood with his non injured arm trying to apply pressure on his neck. "McGee!" She cried. "Oh McGee!" She ran over to him, moving the deceased German Shepard to the side and immediately applying pressure to the wounds. Gibbs was hot on her heels.
"DiNozzo, call paramedics and grab the first aid kit." Gibbs instructed taking over from Ziva at his neck while she moved to his less mangled forearm. "McGee, stay with me." Gibbs urged as he pressed tighter on the vicious dog bite injury that was heavily bleeding, seeping through his fingers. Gibbs was practically strangling Tim with his hand in order to apply the right amount of pressure.
"Tell Kel." Tim whispered, coughing and struggling to stay awake, struggling to breathe with Gibbs tight grip on his neck. "I love her."
"Tell her your damn self!" Gibbs snapped. He was scared. He didn't want to be the one to give his daughter that message. "You'll be ok, Tim. You don't have my permission to be anything less than ok. Don't die, you don't have my permission, you got that?" Tim didn't answer as he slipped into unconsciousness.
The paramedics arrived and took over from Ziva. "Call Ducky for the body in there and the dog. Ask Vance to send a back up team. They'll need our clothes as evidence, too." Gibbs advised
Balboa arrived on scene, shortly after he was called, at the same time as Ducky arrived. "Jethro" he called out as Agent Ashbourne helped Ducky with his gurney. "I've sent Mr Palmer to Georgetown Medical Hospital. I've instructed him to update us on Timothy's condition. I spoke briefly with the paramedic on Timothy's cellphone, he was concerned that the carotid artery had been damaged."
"He'll be fine, Jethro." Balboa comforted him. "Tim is tougher than we all give him credit for. I saw Vance leaving the yard, he said he was headed to the hospital. As soon as I get your clothes and Ziva's clothes, you can go and join them. He said he would notify Agent McGee's girlfriend."
"She should hear it from me, Balboa!" Gibbs snapped. "She's my daughter!" Tony dropped his jaw in shock, Ziva dropped her head in prayer that Tim would be ok. Balboa, Ashbourne, Santiago and Callahan joined Tony dropping their jaws in disbelief. Very few people knew of Kelly and even fewer had met her.
Gibbs was frustrated, Kelly's phone was off. 'That's just fucking great!' Gibbs fumed, now he'd have to track her down and tell Kelly face to face.
"Ah, boss? Is probie's really dating your daughter?!" Tony asked, trying not to laugh at poor McGee's luck. He looked around the room, before focusing on Ducky. He was comforting Gibbs. "Oh shit, really? Geez, McGoo likes to live dangerously, doesn't he?"
"His name is McGee, DiNozzo! It hasn't changed in the whole time you've known him. Use it properly, or not at all." Gibbs snapped angrily. He had underestimated the situation and Tim was injured as a result.
"Come on, Gibbs." Ziva urged him away. "Let's give them our clothes, so we can go and see Tim. I'm sure right now, Kelly could use her a hug from her Dad." Gibbs went to the back of Balboa's truck to change handing his clothes off as evidence, whilst Ziva did the same in the back of Ducky's truck.
"Give me a call and let me know how Tim is." Balboa asked as Ziva urged both Tony and Gibbs into the car.
Kelly had been having a fantastic morning. She'd passed the practical exam, assisting in delivering her very first baby, a baby boy and had began writing up her patient notes when she looked up from the midwife's desk and recognised the newcomer's face. It wasn't yet visiting hours, so anyone entering the ward was instantly noticed. He held up his badge for the Midwife in charge to see before speaking in low tones to her. Kelly's gut clenched as he and the midwife in charge, Betsy, made their way towards her with Vance in tow.
"Which one?" She asked, dropping her pen, standing up to greet him. At the somber look on the Acting Director's face, she knew it could only be bad news.
"Special Agent McGee, Ma'am." Vance said softly, meeting the young Gibbs' girls eyes. He watched the myriad of emotions run through them as her emotional walls were threatening to crumble.
"Please tell me his alive." She begged with tears in her eyes as Betsy, the midwife in charge, comforted the young woman.
"He was when he left the scene by ambulance." Vance confirmed, reaching out a comforting hand on her forearm. "He was attacked by a Navy drug dog on a warrant call. He's downstairs, in the emergency department." Kelly was ushered into a chair by two women, Betsy and her supervising midwife Natalie, who had been standing beside her.
"Tim will be ok." Natalie comforted Kelly. "You told me he's strong. He'll be ok."
"Natalie's right." Betsy added. "Why doesn't Natalie and Director Vance take you down to see Tim and Natalie can come back up and finish your notes. Go get your bag, dear." The older midwife in charge instructed. "I'll watch your patients until you're back." Betsy told Natalie.
The trio quickly made the short trip down into the emergency department. Natalie knew exactly what cubicle he was in, having checked the system before they left the ward. Upon arrival, his cubicle was swarming with medical personnel, so Natalie ushered them into a private room used for family meetings and settled them in there, before notifying his medical team where Agent McGee's girlfriend and boss was waiting.
Vance found Mr Palmer in the main waiting room and ushered him to join them.
"Director Vance." Jimmy greeted the man who'd been the acting director for three months so far. "Last I heard, they were still assessing his injuries. He had regained consciousness, though, that's some good news."
"Thank you Mr Palmer." Vance said.
"Ducky has informed me, the team is on route too, he will join us as soon as he has logged the Petty Officer and the drug dog into the morgue."
"Kell!" Gibbs called out as he rushed In to the private waiting room and pulled his daughter into his arms. Being surrounded by her Dad's comforting presence she let her tears fall. "He'll be ok." Gibbs murmured as he looked up to Ziva entering the room discreetly. Her face was wet, as was her hands. He looked down at his own and realised they were still caked with Tim's dried blood.
Gibbs' eyes caught Vance's, as he motioned to his hands with his eyes that it belonged to McGee. Vance wordlessly motioned for him to go clean himself up.
"Kelly, this is Ziva." Vance introduced them as Gibbs extracted his daughter out of his arms. "She is a team mate of Agent McGee's."
"Ziva, Tim has told me all about you." Kelly said softly, hugging Tim's team mate tightly, not noticing her Father slip out of the room. "You're a dear friend to him. He calls you his sister. Thank you." Ziva put her arms around the young girl and took her to the seats on the far side of the room.
"He is, as near a brother as I know, more of a brother than my own flesh and blood ever was." Ziva confessed to Kelly.
"What's the prognosis?" Gibbs asked Vance as he slipped back in, most of the blood now washed away from his hands.
"All we've been able to attain so far is he's regained consciousness."
"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby rushed into the room. "I came as soon as I heard. Did Timmy really shoot a poor defenceless dog?!"
"Abby!" Kelly, Tony, Ziva and Gibbs exclaimed, at once.
"Miss Sciuto!" Was heard from Vance, simultaneously.
"Oh Tim will be fine, I'm more concerned that he killed a dog." Abby snapped at them all. "A poor defenceless dog!"
"I want Abby removed from this room." Kelly demanded, looking at Director Vance. "Right now!"
"Miss Sciuto, I didnt give you permission to leave the yard. You are supposed to be preparing for your penalty for withholding evidence from a fellow agent. Please return to the yard now and leave or I will have security escort you out." Vance ordered.
"How dare you Kelly?! Who the hell gave you that right?!" Abby seethed getting in Kelly's face. Abby started removing her rings and leather spiked wrist cuffs as she continued berating Kelly. "Tim is nothing to you! He belongs to me, he doesn't even know you!" Abby raised her hand to strike Kelly before Gibbs grabbed her hand and pulled it behind her back, frog marching her away from Kelly, as Ziva moved in front of Kelly to protect her. "Ouch! Gibbs, you're hurting me." Abby whined.
"Good!" Gibbs spat in anger at her. "You don't raise your hand to hit anyone, especially my daughter!" He seethed. "McGee doesn't belong to you."
"But Gibbs, she doesn't even know Tim!" Abby argued.
"She's his girlfriend, Abby!" Gibbs laughed as he explained to her. "I think they know each other very well, more intimately than he knows you!" Abby had lingered around as Gibbs released her, fully prepared for her to take another run at Kelly and not putting it past her to make a run at McGee while he was recovering.
"She can't be his girlfriend. She just can't." Abby denied. "You wouldn't allow it."
"Leave Abby now! I'd be more worried about whether or not you still have a job, rather than Tim's well-being." Gibbs demanded. "Tony, escort her off the premises and advise security that she is banned from visiting Tim."
"With pleasure, boss." Tony said gladly as he escorted Abby away.
"Are you ok?" Ziva turned to Kelly. Before she could answer a doctor in scrubs appeared.
"Family of Agent McGee?" He asked, before being rushed at by the entire room.
"I'm his girlfriend." Kelly said, forcing her way through the small crowd.
"Agent McGee, has been taken into emergency surgery. We will debride both wounds whilst under anaesthesia and they will surgically repair the minor muscle damage in the neck, before closing him up. We have him on an IV of two different types of antibiotics, as well as a steroid. One antibiotic is a precaution for infection from the actual bite and the other is for any infection from the cocaine that was in the drug dogs system." He explained. "His numbers look good, he's very lucky he didn't need a blood transfusion. You can wait in the ICU waiting room on the fourth floor, he will be taken there after recovery."
"Thank you, Doctor." Vance said firmly. "Please have someone photograph the wounds in detail and attach them to a copy of his medical records as his injuries are part of an ongoing criminal investigation."
"With pleasure." The doctor said.
"Sorry for my tardiness," Ducky said as he entered the waiting room. "I can only stay a minute, just wanted to reassure you that Timothy will be ok. I am going to scrub in and assist with the debridement before they repair the muscle. As soon as I know something, I promise to come tell you."
"Thanks Uncle Duck." Kelly said hugging him tightly. "Take care of him and tell him I love him."
Vance had returned, back to NCIS HQ as he had a video conference with the Singapore office scheduled before a meeting on the hill. He advised Agent Gibbs to call him with an update as soon as he heard how McGee was doing. He didn't care if he was interrupted.
Kelly began pacing the small waiting room, which was growing on Gibbs' nerves. "Kell, stop." Gibbs chastised. "He's going to be ok. I didn't give him permission to not be ok."
"McGee doesn't defy Gibbs' order's." Tony added, "it's a violation of the team Gibbs' code of conduct and McBoyScout would never do that."
"You really need to lay off the nicknames." Kelly snapped. "They're not funny and most of them are insulting."
Kelly sat back down, wedged between Ziva and Gibbs, her head resting on Gibbs shoulder. 'What if I lose him?' Kelly thought. 'It's taking too long. What if he dies? Did I tell him I loved him enough?' A small sob wracked through her body. Both Ziva and Gibbs comforted her as her tears began to fall again.
"What if he dies?" Kelly sobbed. "I forgot to tell him I loved him this morning. We were running late."
"Shh, it's ok baby." Gibbs said softly. "He knows. I promise, he knows." Gibbs heart ached, for his daughter. She finally has found her love and it could be cruelly ripped away from her. He never wanted her to know what that kind of pain felt like.
"Listen to Gibbs, Kelly." Ziva advised. "When Tim was lying on the ground bleeding, he told your Dad to tell you that he loves you. You were his only thought."
"Really Dad?" Kelly asked, sniffing back her tears.
"Told him to tell you his damn self because he doesn't have permission to die!" Gibbs said confidently. "When you see him and he's awake, he'll tell you himself."
"Somehow, miraculously, Timothy managed to manoeuvre the dog away from from his carotid artery before the dog tore into him. The whole artery is intact." Ducky said as he entered. He was wearing clean operating room, green scrubs. "There is some slight muscle damage in his left forearm, much more significant muscle damage in the neck. There is a snapped tendon in his neck, which was surgically repaired. Both wounds were fully debrided and packed open. The plastic surgeon has been, whilst he was in recovery and has agreed to follow up on Tim's case. Once he's settled in a room, he can have visitors. Two at a time. Kelly, my dear, I suggest you go first. He's been asking for you since he first awakened in recovery."
"Thank god!" Kelly breathed a sigh of relief. 'He's going to be ok.' Became Kelly's new mantra. "Promise to let me know as soon as he can have visitors."
"Kell," Gibbs gently woke her, she had fallen asleep against Ziva while Gibbs updated Balboa and Vance. "Thought Tim might want to see your beautiful face."
"He can have visitors?" She asked, immediately alert, sitting upright and stretching as she stood on her feet. Cracking her back in the process.
"Yep!" Gibbs grinned at her. "He's in room 29. Let's go."
Ducky, Jimmy, Tony Gibbs and Ziva followed Kelly and Tim's nurse down the small corridor to Tim's room. "This is the observation room," the nurse explained. "You need to be quiet, as you can see it's a smaller waiting room just for Tim's family. The reconstruction team have recommended two visitors at a time, for short visits. Plastic surgeon however would like that down to one person at a time, to allow adequate rest before the next procedure."
Kelly showed each of them the proper technique to use the antibacterial wash and how to scrub their hands correctly, as to limit his exposure to bacteria. "I won't tolerate being lazy and doing a half assed job. This is my turf, I don't go into NCIS and tell you how to do your job. When I go to NCIS I follow your procedures, here you follow mine." Kelly continued her lecture as Ducky and Jimmy smiled proudly at her.
"Who's first?" Tony asked, bouncing on his heels. He couldn't wait to see his Probie. He promised himself, he'd ease up on him. Try to be more of a friend and mentor, than tormentor.
"Me, DiNozzo." Kelly answered. "I'll open the blinds a bit so you can all see him while you wait your turn."
Kelly entered the room with what appeared to the outside world to be confidence, but on the inside was anything but. She did this everyday in the emergency department, but it was different when it's someone you love, someone you care about and are building a life with. She opened the blind to the observation room first, as promised and made her way to Tim's bed.
"Hey baby," Kel whispered. "So I guess getting a dog will have to wait a bit, hey?" She joked, as she carded his hair off his face gently, wary of his neck wound. Ignoring the chair, she perched herself on the edge of his bed. "I love you, Tim." She kissed his cheek on his non injured side, before kissing his lips gently. "The teams outside, but not Abby. Your safe. Everyone's safe."
Green eyes fluttered open and closed for a minute or two while he fought to wake up. "Babe?" Tim asked roughly, his throat dry and gritty, feeling like it's full of sand.
"Shh. Just relax, let me do the talking. You need to rest your throat." Tim's hands, found Kelly's and he entangled his fingers in hers, bringing one hand to his lips to kiss her.
Outside the room Tony, Ziva, Gibbs and Ducky watched the couple. Ducky put his hand on Gibbs' back in support, as Ziva copied him. "It's hard to let go, Jethro." Ducky said. "Look, he's awake and talking to her. Judging by that smile, he followed your order and told her, himself."
"Wow," Tony said softly, almost as if he didn't realise that he'd spoken out loud. "Tim's actually good at this relationship stuff." They watched as Tim took her hand and kissed it gently.
"That right there, DiNozzo." Gibbs stated. "Is why I didn't lose it when I found out it was Tim who Kelly had been seeing."
"Tim seems to love Kelly, a lot." Ziva added.
"They love each other." Gibbs said softly.
'This is it,' Gibbs thought, 'he's the one for her and she for him. Someday soon, he'll be coming to me asking for permission for her hand in marriage. Never dreamt when I recruited that green rookie agent from Norfolk, I'd found the perfect man for my own daughter.'
Tim slipped back into a sleepy state while the last of the anaesthesia wore off. Kelly leaned down and whispered softly in his ear, for only him to hear. "Hurry up and get better Tim, we have a life to start living and a new home waiting for us together, somewhere. I love you, baby."
Tony made the next visit, mostly so he'd stop annoying Gibbs and Ziva. Jimmy had done a coffee run to the cafeteria and returned with some hot coffees for everyone and tea for Ducky and Ziva.
Jimmy made his visit next, followed by Ducky so they could begin work on the two bodies back in Autopsy.
Vance arrived, just as Gibbs was going in there. "Better make it a quick one, both SECDEF and SECNAV are about fifteen minutes behind me, to make a personal visit to our boy. Didn't know they held him in such high regard too." Gibbs bit back a smile and nodded, he was going in there.
"Oh McGee," Gibbs said thickly, his voice was was full of emotions. "Tim, … I told you, you'd be ok." Tim stayed asleep, the last person he'd been awake for was Kelly's visit. "I never want to look down and see you in a pool of your own blood again, got it?" He took one of Tim's hands in his. "You love her, I can't deny that anymore. Promise me your gonna stick around always, because she loves you too." He let go of Tim's hand and straightened out his blankets, much like he did for Kelly when she was a child. "Get better soon, son. I can't lose you either. Kell and I have already lost too many people we love in our life. We can't lose you too." Gibbs pushed the hair back out of Tim's face and ran his fingertips down his face, before patting his non injured forearm comfortingly before leaving.
Vance watched Gibbs with fascination, he'd never known that under the gruff exterior beat the heart of a kind and gentle man, much like the man laying in the hospital bed. Witnessing those few minutes, just the two of them, as an outsider told him more than the all the years he'd known Gibbs and he could see why Kelly loved her father's agent McGee so much.
What he couldn't work out was, what Director Shepard's problem was with Agent McGee.
Gibbs offered the Director a quick visit, that he declined. "Now's the time for his family, speaking of, did you notify his family?"
"He buried his father last month. He has a couple of scattered family members left, but mostly it's just his NCIS family."
"Very well." Vance's gut twisted. 'The taskforce is in Carolina, effectively cutting this young man off from what little family he has left.' Vance thought, wondering if McGee would renege on his request for transfer.
The arrival of SECDEF and SECNAV was timely and prompt, just as Vance predicted. "It's one visitor at a time." Gibbs reminded them gently, not to overwhelm Tim. Both Phil and Clay shook Gibbs' hand in greeting.
"Thank you, for saving him. The doctor told us what you did for him." Phil said softly, which prickled Vance's ears. He didn't know what Gibbs had done, but whatever it was, saved the man's life. "Don't know if I'd have the strength to do that to someone in the field, especially a team mate, someone I care about."
"Well, he's pretty special to us too." Gibbs smirked at the men, noticing Kelly asleep on the chair, leaning against Ziva. The men gazed over to Kelly, she was clearly exhausted. "The fact that Tim's girlfriend, is my daughter Kelly, has nothing to do with it. I'd do the same for anyone in the field with me. I was a marine. We don't leave anyone behind."
"Ooh-rah, Gunny." Davenport retorted with a wicked grin.
"I'll go in first Phil." Clayton Jarvis, the secretary of the navy said.
He entered Tim's room, not believing his eyes. There his nephew lay, perfectly still. If it weren't for the cardiac monitor happily plotting his sinus rhythm he'd think he was looking down at his nephews body. "Oh Tim," he whispered. "I'm here." He wanted to take his nephew's hand in his, but he didn't know where to start. He didn't have a close relationship with Tim, mostly because he was always away at school when he had the chance to visit. Not like Phil. Tim had lived with Phil in Boston when he was at MIT and Phil's girls are his age. They spent summer's together. It tore at Clayton that he'd never had children of his own. He'd had the career, but it cost him the price of not knowing his nephew and nieces as well as he'd like. It cost him his sisters happiness and life. She'd never met John McGee if it wasn't for him. "Get well soon, Tim."
Vance had been irked that the nurse had partially closed the blinds before the VIP's arrival. When he'd given his report on the hill into what had occurred he never dreamed that both the SECDEF and SECNAV would seek him out, for a more personal update, before demanding his agent's location and visiting the man personally.
Philip Davenport was a stoic man and very few things allowed him to let his feelings through, his wife Clare, his daughters Sam and Lucy and his beloved nephew Tim. He was struggling to hold it together, when he walked in there and he wished for once, his wife was here with him, instead of cruising the pacific with her friends. "Tim, my boy." He whispered. "Look at you." He took in his hand, holding it tight. He hadn't held Tim's hand except for a handshake since he was ten years old, when his grandmother had died. At the service, he'd slipped his hand inside Tim's for emotional support. He'd had Samantha in his lap and his wife had Lucy in hers, while Tim sat stoically beside him, rigid, as the Admiral sat on the other side of him. He remembered afterwards having words with John about Tim, telling him to ease up on him.
"You're life would have been so different had Nikki lived." He promised. "When you were with us, we tried to give you normal as much as possible. Clare and I did everything we possibly could to make sure you had normalcy. We owed Nikki that!" He pushed the errant hair off Tim's face. "Hurry up and get better Tim and come visit us up at the cape. Bring that girl of yours too, she seems like a keeper. See you soon, my boy!"
"I never thought I'd ever look down at his body like that again, Clay." Phil said as he left Tim's room. "It was like reliving '96 all over again." Vance stood there listening carefully. From what little he'd saw go on in McGee's room, he didn't see the makeup of two politicians, he saw two broken family members.
"His accident?" Gibbs asked. "Over the years, I've heard bits and pieces of the story."
"The car was totalled, a drunk driver took out him instead of a bus full of kindergarten kids. He was in a coma for three weeks." Clayton explained. "Promise me, that dog is dead!"
"Tim shot and killed it himself." Gibbs confirmed, proudly. He imagined how much strength it'd have taken Tim to pull the trigger a second time, especially as he feared for his life. He would have been in excruciating pain by that point. "It's in our autopsy suite at the navy yard."
"Good." Phil added. "Now I have to tell my wife what's happened and convince Clare that Tim's going to be ok." Clayton groaned at that thought.
"Come on Phil, we'll Skype her. I'll help. My sister in protective Mama Bear mode over Our Tim, you'll need all the help you can get." Clayton offered. "Gibbs, please keep us posted."
"Samantha can't come, she's in Louisiana. But Lucy will be here before I hang up the phone, will you make sure she can visit? Her and Tim are close. He'd love to see her." Phil added.
"I'll make sure of it." Kelly said softly from her chair. "Tim has told me all about them, I have seen photos. I will know who she is on sight."
"None of his family will be denied access to him, Phil. Clay, that goes for both of you." Gibbs reiterated.
"Take care of our boy, Gibbs." Clay added, as both men kissed Kelly's cheek and took their leave.
"Uncles?" Vance asked, as soon as they were out of earshot. "They're his 'scattered family'?
"Tim's mother, Nikki, was Clayton's sister. Phil is married to Clayton's other sister Clare. Phil and Clare have twin girls Samantha, Sam and Lucy." Kelly explained.
"I'm sure you'll be told it's not public knowledge and that's the way all three men want it." Gibbs added. "Jarvis and Davenport obviously trust you with this, or they'd have called me for the information. There's only a handful of people that know, besides Tim at NCIS. Ducky, Jenny, myself, Tony and Ziva. Although I'm not sure if Tony and Ziva know. But they suspect."
"I know nothing. Who agent McGee's uncles are don't bother me. All I saw was two loving Uncle's worried about their nephew after an accident at work." Vance stated, factly.
Ducky returned to chase everyone to their respective homes including Kelly, but not before promising he would phone her if anything changed. He settled in for the duration of the night.
"I'm going to miss you, Timothy." Ducky whispered to his resting body. "Wherever you go, you'll have a huge part of my heart with you."
Gibbs took Kelly to her townhouse to get some stuff together for Tim for the hospital. He looked around carefully. He saw Tim's duffel bag was in the laundry closet, more of Tim's clothes had made their way here. He'd recognise that bag anywhere, he'd seen it enough. Heck, in his early days, he'd shared enough hotel rooms with Tim to recognise it. And there it sat, right beside Kelly's duffel bags and her suitcase.
"Dad, grab Tim's bag from the laundry closet." Kelly called from her bedroom. "Thanks," she said taking the bag from her farther.
"Are you two living together?" Gibbs asked softly.
"Dad we alternate apartments." Kelly explained, not really in the mood to explain the dynamics of their relationship to him.
"Answer me this, when was the last night you slept alone?"
"The night you came back from Norfolk and Tim snuck me out, right under your nose."
"You're living together then." Gibbs surmised. "Is he going to move in?"
"I hope so, haven't asked him yet. It's been almost five months, now." Kelly said softly. "When you know, you know. You told me that."
"If you know, then you know." Gibbs confirmed and made a mental note to have Ziva check when Tim's lease expired. He wasn't going to be able to pack up his place and move with that injury. Kelly's split level townhouse had stairs, but not as many as his four floor walk up and definitely not as steep.
Tim awoke to the sounds of ICU and Ducky dozing in a recliner by his bed. Tim vaguely remembered Kelly kissing him good night, with Gibbs standing at the door. He had hazy recollections of visitors talking to him but he wasn't really sure what they'd said.
But he knew he was hungry, he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning. Kelly came in bright and early, while Ducky was on the hunt for real breakfast and a real black coffee for Timothy. Tim shuffled over slightly as she perched herself up on the bed, kissing him sensually, a good morning kiss to convey how much she loved him, missed him and was worried about him. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" Asked the doctor from the doorway teasingly. "Can't get that service just anywhere now, Agent McGee. How are you doing this morning?" Kelly hid her head, when she recognised the voice as a colleague from the doctor's days down working in Emergency with Kelly.
"Not too bad, doc." Tim answered, blushing. "When can I go home?"
"Who's your special someone here?" He asked, shaking his head at the lunacy of Tim's question.
"Hi Andrew," Kelly waved, poking her head up. "How are you?"
"Kelly, my dear? Is this your young stallion?" Andrew Hughes asked in a southern drawl.
"Yes sir, this is my Tim." She confirmed. "Tim, this is Dr Andrew Hughes, he is the Director of Plastics here. Andrew and I have worked together since he was a lowly registrar in emergency, many years ago."
"Pleasure to meet you. So can I go home yet?" To which, Kelly and Andrew both laughed.
"Sorry Agent McGee, you're our guest for at least another twenty four hours. But we can move you to a ward if you like." He offered.
"That would be good." Tim confirmed, as Kelly hopped off the bed so Andrew could examine him.
Dr Hughes was happy with the progress and happy to move him to the plastics ward.
"Tony, Ziva?" Gibbs said softly across the bullpen. It was the end of the day and he was happy to be going to see Tim before heading home. "Tomorrow morning, are you both free to help me get some of Tim's stuff from his apartment? He can't stay there while he's recovering."
"Sure Gibbs, will he be with you?" Ziva asked.
"I think it's best for all involved if he stays with Kell." Gibbs admitted. He could have taken Tim to his house and he knew Kelly would stay too. But he doubted Tim would be comfortable at Gibbs' home.
"Yeah, boss." Tony confirmed. "But serious question. Are you ok with probie and your daughter?" Tony ducked, preparing for a head slap.
"I guess." Gibbs admitted. He didn't really feel comfortable discussing this with Tony because he didn't want to tell Tony that he'd never have let Tony near Kelly. Luckily for all, he didn't ask.
"Good evening, Director." Gibbs said as he met Vance in the foyer of the hospital as planned.
"Evening Gibbs, how did you get Kelly to leave Tim so we could talk privately with him?" Vance asked. He had been fully expecting Kelly to stay and be a part of the discussion.
"She's working upstairs on Maternity. Tim wouldn't let her miss her work placement for him." Gibbs replied. "She doesn't listen to me, too damn stubborn." Vance raised an eyebrow at him in amusement and let a wry smile cross his face.
"So she's just like her father, then?" He countered, chuckling.
"Exactly. I'd say poor Tim, but he's just as stubborn." Gibbs retorted.
Vance wisely didn't reply, although the comment on the tip of his tongue was 'imagine how stubborn their children will be.'
"Agent McGee, you're looking better than the last time I saw you." Vance said as he entered with Gibbs on his tail. Tim was flexing a small foam ball in the hand of the arm that's injured.
"Thank you, I hope I can go home tomorrow." Tim replied, repeating what the doctor had said was a possibility.
"To Kelly's, not your apartment. Ziva, Tony and I will be getting you some more clothes and things from your apartment and we'll take them to Kelly's." Gibbs ordered. "There's less stairs, the bathroom is bigger, you don't have to climb over a tub to shower at Kelly's and you'll be closer to the hospital and the navy yard. No cooking, Ziva has already started on some delicious food for you and being this close to the city, you can get to the diner without driving."
"Anyway, we have some things to discuss." Vance added. "As per your request to transfer, I'd like to attach you to the Carolina's office. In a month's time I'll be heading up a cyber security taskforce for the naval base there. It's a team of ten people, including me. It's a twelve month position, with a return posting to the navy yard afterwards or a new posting, elsewhere if desired."
"Will I still keep my field status, I don't want to lose that?" Tim asked. "I'm a field agent , first and foremost." Gibbs was proud of Tim for asking this. It hadn't entered Gibbs' mind being cyber security if he'd be in the field.
"It's a field agent posting, McGee." Vance said. "You'd be one of our JFA, along with Mike Santiago from Balboa's team. You'll have time to consult on cases if MCRT in DC are desperate and I have a couple of training seminars I'd like you to do too. The task force is only three days a week, the rest of the time is consulting, cold cases and assignments in the field."
"I'd take it, Tim." Gibbs advised. "You'd come back to me afterwards, if you wanted. Or you could apply for a position anywhere else you like. You've become a fine agent, McGee. I'm proud of you."
"Talk it over with your girlfriend, McGee." Vance directed. "Let me know by the end of the week." Vance took his leave.
"What's there to think about Tim?" Gibbs asked. "You should have accepted."
"I want to discuss it with Kelly first. We're building our life together." Tim said firmly. "It effects her, as much as it effects me. Her job is here, her school is here, you're here, Ducky, Ziva, you're all here."
"Tim, Leon said you requested the transfer. Why?"
"Mostly I need to get away from Abby, to a lesser extent Tony and maybe some distance from you." Tim answered in a low voice. "You're always mad at me now and nothing I do is good enough in your eyes. Ever since you found out about Kelly and I. You and Kel have been fighting and that's my fault."
"Tim, that's on me. I've been struggling with letting go of Kelly. When you have a daughter of your own, you'll understand better. I never set out to make you feel like that. I'm sorry if it seemed like I did." Gibbs closed his eyes, thinking. He hadn't realised he'd been hurting Tim by not accepting that Kelly was all grown and that he wasn't the only man in her life now. "Abby, I understand why you need to leave her. Tony, I think you two need to hash that out. Tony means well, he just goes overboard on the hazing because he's afraid of admitting that he considers you a friend."
"I think if we're apart, maybe you and I could work on a friendship of sorts, might make it easier on Kel too."
"Thought we we're already friends, Tim." Gibbs replied. "Kelly know you asked for a transfer?"
"Yes, she does."
"Sorry for the interruption, Agent McGee you have a delivery." The nurse said as she knocked and entered. "Surprise!"
"Hi there," Jackson said as he made his way to the admissions desk in the foyer. "I'm looking for a patient of yours, Agent Tim McGee. He's my granddaughter's boyfriend. He was injured in the line of duty."
"He's on the plastics ward, on level 5, room 9, sir." The nurse replied.
"Thank you." Jackson said sweetly, "you have a lovely evening too."
"Excuse me, ma'am. You couldn't possibly do me a favour?" Jackson asked. "My granddaughter's boyfriend is the patient in this room. "Could you go in and say you have a special delivery for him?"
"Of course, Sir. It's so thoughtful for you to come and visit him. He's only had his girlfriend and his bosses visit since my shift began."
"Surprise!" Jackson said as he entered the room.
"Dad?" Gibbs asked in complete shock.
"Jackson, what are you doing here?" Tim asked stunned. "Not that I'm not happy to see you of course."
"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked.
"Tim got injured and I don't rate a call from you, Leroy! I had to find out from Kel-bel. I'm here to help look after Tim. Old Pat Harris is watching the store for the next two weeks." The younger Gibbs man sat silently still. "You have work Leroy, you can't miss work. Kel-bel has work, her placement and school. I know Tim won't let her miss any of that. He'll need some help and I'm here to help."
"You know him?" Gibbs asked Tim in shock, turning to him. He didn't know the relationship was serious enough that Kelly had taken Tim to meet his old man.
"Come now, Leroy. It'll give Tim and I, a chance to get to know each other better. We've only had a weekend to get acquainted and Kel-bel was going between us like a yo-yo."
Both Gibbs men looked at the man, in the bed. He looked exhausted and he had a fine layer of perspiration on his forehead.
"Tim?" Jethro questioned. "You ok?" He asked, taking the foam ball from his hand.
"I'm ok, just a bit hot." Both men reached for his forehead at the same time.
"The boy's burning up, Leroy. Call the nurse."
A nurse came in and checked Tim over. She explained that they'd changed Tim's antibiotics to an oral one from the intravenous form and he was reacting to it. "Please don't worry, but I need you two to wait in the waiting room at the end of the hall. I'm going to get the doctor in here and it's going to get very busy, very quickly."
"You're gonna be ok, Tim. Just relax. I'll be right outside." He said softly, right up close to Tim's face.
"Come on son, Tim's in good hands." Jackson said, trying make his own son move.
"Let's go Dad."
"Agent Gibbs, Mr Gibbs," Dr Hughes greeted the father and son duo after they'd been waiting almost two hours for some news. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Your Kelly talks about you both so much, I feel like I already know you. I'm Dr Andrew Hughes, the Director of plastic surgery here. Kelly and I worked many years in emergency together when I was a lowly registrar and then again as a consultant."
"Andrew." The agent greeted the man who was about the same age as Jethro. "The Andrew that helped Kelly when I was away on assignment with the Ohara mess?"
"The very same." He confirmed. "I have a lot of respect for Kelly. She's a bright and talented young woman. Anyway, enough about Kelly, I can tell your anxious for news on Tim."
"What happened to Tim?!" Kelly asked, as the three men turned to greet her.
"Come in and I'll explain it to you as well. Tim had an allergic reaction to a chemical compound in the make up of the oral pill. Kelly, you know we stopped the intravenous antibiotic to start orals and in hope after tomorrow's light debridement that Tim would be discharged. We have to push that plan, now. We will try a different oral antibiotic and reassess tomorrow evening now."
Jackson put his arm around Kelly to comfort her. "It's better that it happened now, rather than once he is home, Kel-bel."
"Your grandfather is right, Kelly." Andrew agreed. "The light debridement is scheduled for 0700, I believe Doctor Mallard will be there to assist. Any visitors after 0900 should be fine. I've ordered a light sedative for the first debridement."
The following morning, the sedation worked a treat and they were able to debride the wound a lot quicker than originally planned.
Tony and Ziva grabbed coffee on their way to meet Gibbs at Tim's apartment. Inside they found Gibbs already hard at work. He'd packed just about every piece of clothing Tim owned, into suit bags, suit cases and a couple of duffels he found in the closet. There were empty boxes that sat outside the study door. "Tony, box up his computer, typewriter and his books." Tony went to work, immediately. Although, Gibbs wasn't angry, Tony sensed it wasn't a time to joke.
"Ziva, box up the kitchen stuff and stack them in the corner." Gibbs instructed, as he rubbed his hand over his face.
"Gibbs?" Ziva asked, concerned. "What's going on?"
"The building is going co-op. He got a 28 day notice to vacate, dated yesterday. Saw it when we got here this morning, but Kelly opened the letter. He's not going be recovered to pack." Gibbs said frustrated at Tim's latest blow.
"He's coming home from hospital today, though." Ziva said, still confused why they were packing up Tim's apartment.
"No, he's not." Gibbs said softly. "He had a bad reaction to a medication late last night. It'll be at least another day or two. He won't be coming back here."
"He's leaving us, isn't he?" Ziva asked in a small voice as Tony joined them in the living room.
"Yes," Gibbs admitted. Tony sat there in shock, 'probie was leaving.' "He's being attached to the cyber security task force out of the Carolina's office. It's a twelve month position. At that time he can transfer back or move on to his next posting."
"He's really leaving?" Tony asked. "That's it, right? So what, we get a TAD for twelve months? Some half-witted numbskull who can't use a computer. In MCRT we can't always wait for cyber crimes to get to our case."
"No, Vance promised both of us Tim would be able to liaise with us. He's still MCRT, it's an assignment, not a transfer." Gibbs explained.
"So it's not goodbye then, Probie will still be back and forth. You know, Kelly lives here. He'll visit us still." Tony reasoned, his voice thick of emotion. He didn't want Tim to leave.
"No." Gibbs closed his eyes. "I'm telling Kelly to go with him. They're not dating, they're building a life together. I don't want her and Tim to have the heartache and difficulty of a long distance relationship. South Carolina has a great midwifery course she can transfer to. It'll be good for both of them."
"Who's going to have Tim's back out there?" Ziva asked. Her lip was trembling, she didn't want to cry, but she knew she couldn't stop them. "My brother will be alone in a new city, at a new office with new team mates. Those agents don't know Tim like we do. They don't know when to push him and when to back off."
"Vance will be there, Ziva. Mike Santiago from Balboa's team too." Gibbs reasoned.
"Gibbs, you promised you'd take care of it." Ziva sobbed.
"I did. He wanted a permanent transfer. Vance was going to offer Naples, in Italy. I re-negotiated with him."
"He was really going to leave?" Tony asked stunned.
"Maybe if you'd have quit riding him and hazing him, conspiring with Abby to make his life miserable he wouldn't have felt like he had to leave." Gibbs chastised. "Abby's been playing us all against Tim. Took me a while to see it, when she raised her hand to Kell, the penny dropped."
"I'm angry at Abby, myself, right now!" Tony admitted. "She blamed Tim for the whole balls up on the case and that dog getting shot. She was more worried about that dead dog than him and his well-being. Last night, she broke into Autopsy and chained herself to the drawer where Ducky had stored that dog to protect it from being autopsied. Ducky had to call security. Vance was super pissed off and this morning Kasie was in the lab instead." Recalling his super quick stop to the navy yard this morning to retrieve his forgotten wallet. Balboa had told him the whole tale and he'd gone to the lab himself to talk to sense into Abby, finding Kasie there instead.
"Right now, my focus is on Tim, wholly on Tim." Ziva said. "I have more than a dozen verbally berating messages on my voicemail already from Abby this morning and I'm not in the mood to deal with her. Soon I will, but right now, Tim needs me more. I don't know where your loyalty lies, but mine is with him."
"The woman tried to slap Kelly!" Gibbs shouted in anger at Abby and her behaviour. "My loyalty is to my daughter, above everyone else."
"Look, I plan on visiting Probie today, let's get moving. Does he know about his apartment, yet?" Tony asked. When he was staring down at Tim, in his hospital bed yesterday, it was a shock to his system. He knew he needed to up his game and ease up on the young man that he considered a friend. 'Maybe, behaving like my frat brothers to a geek, to show him I'm his friend isn't the way I should have gone about it.' Tony thought.
"He's sedated for another debridement right now. Kelly will tell him when he wakes up." Gibbs answered. "I can't imagine the pain he must be in."
Jackson and Kelly sat in the same waiting room as the night before with their hot coffees as they waited for Ducky to come and tell them he was ready for visitors. "Grandpa?" Kelly said softly, breaking the silence. "I have something to tell you."
"Tim and I are moving away. He's asked for the transfer." Kelly admitted softly.
"I thought he'd end up asking for it." Jackson agreed. "It's ok Kel-bel. Where ever you end up, I'll come and visit as often as I can. I think it's great that you've decided to follow Tim. It'll do you good to step out of your Daddy's shadow. It's a good thing."
"Yes, and Tim has assured me we can go back to DC or to PA visit whenever I'm homesick." Kelly reasoned.
"He's a good man, your Tim."
Abby, was suspended from her duties, pending the outcome of an IA investigation. Her lawyer had originally called Gibbs as a character witness, but when it was revealed that the civilian she'd tried to assault was his daughter they quickly changed their tactics. Tim was called to testify as a character witness, but the IA agent conducting the investigation had a copy of the list of incidents between Abby and Tim in which Agent McGee's job was directly affected by Abby Scuito's withholding of evidence. The investigation was temporarily paused after Agent Michaels from cyber crimes found that Abby had been electronically burying written complaints and negative reports about her behaviour deep into the NCIS subsystem that the recipient never received the reports originally intended for them. Now a sub-investigation is currently underway to see how long Abby had been burying reports for and what those reports contain.
Tim was finally getting to leave the hospital a week later, after two more setbacks. He had began a strict regime of physical therapy, too. After talking to Kelly all day before about the transfer and how he wanted it pan out, it was decided that Kelly would join Tim in North Carolina. They'd give up the lease to his apartment and sublet her townhouse. They were hoping to rent a furnished place in or around Jacksonville in North Carolina.
The team was aware of Tim's assignment, as they called it, not truly believing that Tim wanted a permanent change. Tony and Tim had hashed out a lot of their issues and were well on the way to becoming good friends.
"You're bright and early, babe." Tim greeted Kelly as she entered, with coffees in hand at 0800. Kelly hadn't finished work until 0200 this morning, so he was surprised to see her so early.
"You're coming home today." She smiled as she kissed her boyfriend good morning. "Jackson's at the house still. He said he's planning a feast for dinner tonight. Ducky, Dad, Tony and Ziva are coming for dinner."
"Oh joy" Tim said sarcastically. "Just what we need, on our first night home together in over a week." He winked.
"Don't think you're medically cleared for that, yet Tim." Kelly laughed as she kissed him again, inching closer. "But as soon as you are ..."
"Don't actually know what my restrictions are yet, baby. Haven't exactly been able to ask the doc about that with your Dad, Grandpa and Ducky hovering by." Tim explained.
"Luckily for you, it's me picking you up, not Dad and I'm not afraid to ask the hard questions. Especially to Andrew."
It took barely anytime at all for Andrew to make his way to Tim on his morning rounds. "We've organised for PT to continue as an outpatient, Doctor Mallard will continue the debridement of the wound as a patient in his suite at NCIS or in your home. Your physical therapist has already given you your physical limitations, I have authorised a starting point of cold cases work from home 2 hours, every other day and we build up from there. You have three more days of antibiotics, should be no problem with them, they're the same oral tablets as what you've been taking in here. Any questions?"
"When can we have sex again?" Kelly asked bluntly and Tim wanted to sink into the bed.
"Anytime you want, but you missy, have to take the heavy lifting and do all the work until Tim's fully recovered." Andrew replied. At first he thought Kelly was being a sass mouth, but a glance at Tim told him that she was actually serious.
"Thank you for everything Dr Hughes." Tim said, holding out his good arm to shake hands.
"Please call me Andrew. After all, you're Kelly's partner and Kelly is a good friend. I'll see you for a follow up appointment in two weeks before we transfer your care to the Naval Medical Centre, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina." Andrew took about her look at the couple. "Promise me, you'll keep in touch Kelly, can't believe that you're really leaving. You call me, if you need anything, even if it's just to talk." Kelly nodded stiffly.
"Thanks for everything Andrew, we will see you at Tim's last appointment in two weeks time."
"Bet you're glad to be back here." Jackson said as he opened the door to Kelly's townhouse. Gibbs, Ziva and Tony were already waiting for him by the time they arrived home. "Go up, get changed and get some sleep before dinner, you look all tuckered out."
"Sorry guys, PT was draining today." Tim explained. "Trying to build up muscle stamina in my neck has destroyed me."
"It's ok, Tim." Gibbs said. "A week ago a dog forcibly removed that muscle with his bare teeth, it's going to take time. Now go on, upstairs and get some rest."
Tim had a peaceful and restful sleep that afternoon when everyone was downstairs. He thought about the future. 'His future with Kelly. He knew he loved her, he knew she was the one. What he didn't know was if she'd say yes, if he asked her to marry him. What would Gibbs say? What would he do? Especially since it's hasn't even been six months yet. Maybe he should wait. Deciding to wait was the best choice. He'd have to wait at least until he could use his neck, shoulder and forearm. He'd want to be able to get down on one knee. He'd want to be able to place the ring on her finger and hold her close. He had a lot riding on his recovery. Not just his career and his livelihood, but his love too.'
Dinner was lively with pot roast, roasted vegetables, salad, pan juice gravy and a delicious cheesecake made by Ziva to accompany the coffee made by Gibbs.
"Let me help tidy up." Tim offered after bidding Tony and Ziva a good night.
"Don't be ridiculous, Tim." Jackson chastised. "Go on into the living room and relax. Leroy and I have this under control."
Soon enough the four of them were sitting around the lounge room, Tim and Kelly on the sofa and Jackson and Gibbs in the oversized chairs.
"Dinner was lovely, Grandpa. But don't think you'll be owning my kitchen while your here. Your our guest." Kelly chastised him gently. "You're not here to cook for us. I'm a good cook, Ziva bought a tonne of food she cooked up, dad knows the best take out places and Tim's a wonderful cook."
"Tim's not lifting a damn finger until he's fully recovered." The younger Gibbs man growled. "I'm not losing him permanently to an injury because he was showing off his gourmet skills to you two." Kelly and Jackson just rolled their eyes in response to his overprotective ways.
"Tim can pass things in the kitchen and help still." Tim added, using his first name to remind them all that he was still there. "Tim's not totally useless, you know?!"
"No!" Gibbs reiterated. "You do your PT and rehab. That's it." Tim recognised that tone. It was 'the boss has spoken' tone and knew not to argue with it.
-- THREE WEEKS LATER , THREE DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE --
The last of Tim's things were packed up,divided between Gibbs' spare room and Kelly's basement, to be stored. The townhouse was being sublet, furnished with the basement off limits to the tenants by a NCIS linguist who was transferring into DC and Tim and Kelly would spend their last three days living under Gibbs' roof.
Gibbs felt weird, on the first night they stayed with him, seeing Kelly climb the stairs to bed, with Tim in tow. What he felt more weird about was seeing Tim and Kelly at the breakfast table in their PJ's.
Tim and Kelly had both finished at their jobs and were spending their last two days visiting all their favourite places in DC and a last minute video conference meeting at the navy yard with their relocation agent at the Carolina's office.
"Agent McGee, Miss Gibbs. It's wonderful to see you again. I have three apartments lined up for you to look at upon your arrival. In the meantime, you'll be staying at a quest serviced apartment. All you'll need is your clothes, personal belongings and any memorabilia you need. Are you still interested in furnished apartments only?" Agent Donovan asked.
"Yes ma'am." Tim replied. "We aren't selling our home here. We have rented it to another NCIS employee who's transferring in for 12 months."
"Excellent, well, as I said we have three to look at on Friday and there's two more I'm yet to hear back on. Are you flying or driving in?"
"We will fly in and my Father will drive Tim's car down on the following weekend which we have packed with a few more of our belongings." Kelly explained.
"That's a great idea." Donovan praised their practicality. "I look forward to meeting you face to face on Friday. I will email Agent McGee the reservation details."
"How'd everything go?" Gibbs asked as he caught up with Tim and Kelly leaving the conference room.
"She has three apartments for us to look at on Friday afternoon, that are move in ready. For the time being they've set up up in a serviced apartment." Kelly explained.
"You still good to bring the Lexus down?" Tim asked Gibbs.
"Yes, Ducky and I will leave on Thursday week and are having a long weekend leave Sunday night, we'll just need a ride to the airport, DiNozzo will pick us up at Dulles." Gibbs confirmed. "Duck and I will take you two to the airport on Friday morning, so don't organise the shuttle bus or a cab, either." Gibbs took a breathe and looked at them both, letting out a silent sigh. "Tomorrow night at the diner is for NCIS, the hospital and the team. Friday morning at the airport is goodbye for Duck and I, privately ok?"
"Oh Dad." Kelly said, hugging him. "It's not goodbye. We will see you the following weekend and it's only 3 hour flight with a stopover or a 5 hour drive. We will be fine." She whispered into his neck, so only the two of them could hear her. "Don't worry, I'll be ok Dad. Tim's got my six."
"Hey Tim, you excited yet?" Mike Santiago asked as he joined the trio on the edge of the their bullpen, offering a handshake. "It's going to be so much fun."
"Getting there Mike. Kathryn all set?" Tim asked, shaking his hand. He and Mike went to FLETC together.
"She's already gone ahead. Her family live in Richlands. Where are you basing yourself?"
"Jacksonville. Hopefully, right by the water there." Kelly answered. "I've got school and work placement near by so it makes sense."
"Bon voyage!" The crowd shouted as Kelly and Tim entered 'Elaine's Way' Diner, the night before departure. The small diner was crowded with people. Balboa, Smith, Callahan, DiNozzo, Gibbs, David, Ducky, Rodriquez and Pascel from security, Jaxon and Patterson from cyber crimes, Kasie from the lab, Vance and his admin team, the MTAC boys, FBI guys Fornell and his daughter Emily, Sacks, O'Connell and Conway, various orderlies from the hospital, Shelly from emergency, Betsy and Natalie from Maternity and various doctors from the hospital including Andrew. Elaine and her team had their hands full trying to keep the coffee going around. Gibbs, DiNozzo and Ducky had organised finger food which Elaine and her team had prepped earlier and Ziva had made a huge marble mud swirl 'bon voyage' cake with Kelly and Tim's names on it. The two of them slowly made their way around the room. Fornell and Vance joined the MCRT team including Ducky and Jimmy, planning to catch the couple last.
Fornell found himself feeling a bit wrought at the thought of them leaving. He had known Tim since he was a grunt at FLETC, but it wasn't until Gibbs hired him from Norfolk that he really got to know the MCRT's resident genius. Yet, he had met Kelly when she was twelve, he watched her grow from an awkward, gangly teen into a beautiful confident woman and he'd like to think he'd had a little to do with it. It wasn't too bad when she went off to school at Berkeley because Diane had lived nearby at the same time and he wasn't living too far away either at the time. Now he was stationed in DC, as was Gibbs and she was moving 350 miles away to another state, with a man she's known less than a year. Just so he can per-sue a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of a taskforce in a strange city, with no family and no friends while she finishes her studies. Deep down, though, he knew she'd be ok because Agent McGee would make sure of it.
Finally as the evening drew to a close, having thanked everyone for coming and thanked Elaine and her team, it was time to say goodbye to the MCRT, Ducky, Palmer, Fornell and Vance. Although, the latter he'd see in a weeks time in North Carolina.
"Bye Tim, I'll see you soon." Jimmy said, shaking his friend's hand. "Keep up with the PT and you'll be back in the field before you know it."
"Thanks Jimmy. I look forward to hearing all about your exams, call me Friday night?" Tim said , referring Jimmy's final med school exams, the last one of course being Friday afternoon.
"Of course. Good luck down there!"
"Ah Probie." Tony said shaking his hand. "I've got seven words for ya." Holding up seven fingers and counting them down as he spoke. "Cya soon very special agent Timothy McGee." Then pulled him in for a manly hug. "And you - Kelly, take care of my Probie for me, just as I know he's got your back down there. Either of you need me, just call, got it?" Tim and Kelly both nodded. Their hearts in their throats, thick with emotions.
"See ya soon, Tony." Tim finally said.
"Tim, my baby brother Tim." Ziva said stepping forward, her hands resting on his cheeks. "I'm going to miss you, most of all, scarecrow."
"Wizard of oz, nice" Tim complimented her and Tony chuckled.
"Make sure you come and visit. When we have a long weekend off, I shall come too. You better have a guest room for me." Ziva said softly. "Kelly, my new little sister, you take care of Tim for me, I'm trusting you with something that's so precious and dear to me, his heart. We will all be together again soon, no?" She asked as her tears began to fall softly. Before hugging them both at the same time, fiercely. "Take care of each other." Ziva reached up and whispered into Tim's ear. "I gave Kelly something for you, open it when you're alone and always carry it with you." She kissed his cheek, for good measure and released the man she considered a little brother from her embrace.
"You take care, Ziva. You're always welcome. We are planning to have a guest room, I promise." Tim said, holding Kelly close to comfort her, as she was beginning to cry too now. In such a short time, her and Ziva had struck up a special and close friendship.
"I'll be seeing you both in North Carolina, in a week and a bit." Vance said, shaking Tim's hand and kissing Kelly's cheek. "Remember, my wife's looking forward to meeting you both." He reminded them gently. Leon Vance had told his wife Jackie all about the young couple from DC that were moving out and how the young Miss Gibbs was his long time colleague Jethro Gibbs' daughter. Having heard all about Gibbs and his antics for many years now, Jackie swore she'd take the young couple under her wing and help them out. Especially Kelly, as both her and Jackie worked in medicine. Jackie was a midwife too and Kelly about to start her second year of midwifery.
"Kell, I'm going to miss you, better have a bed for your Uncle Toby, coz me and Em will come visit, I promise. When I got FBI business in North Carolina, I'm making you guys a main stop." Fornell swore. "McGee, … ah Tim. Take care of my niece. If you don't, well … I'd threaten ya, but the point would be moot coz Gibbs will kill ya." He joked. "Seriously, I promise that I'll come visit you guys. Take care of yourselves and each other and call me if you two need anything, both of you. Good luck on your rehab, Tim."
Tim was done. He felt drained and thanked the powers that be, that the two most emotionally exhaustive goodbyes were together, tomorrow, away from everyone else. Because he knew, his tears would fall too.
"Come on you too, you guys need some sleep and your flight leaves in nine hours." Gibbs said as he ushered them to the car. More hugs were exchanged and Tim kissed Ziva once again. "Duck? Ya ready?" He asked. Ducky was spending the night at Chez Gibbs too because they needed to be at the airport by 0700 as they had an early flight out.
Arriving back at Gibbs house Ducky, Gibbs, Kelly and Tim sat in the living room with a healthy nip of bourbon in their glasses. "Turas math dhuibh" Ducky toasted. "Good journey to you both, in Scottish."
"Before I forget," Kelly said handing this over to Tim. "It's from Zee." Tim opened the small gift and it was a wooden handled knife, the blade pristinely sharp and it had its own leather sheath. Tim's name was burnt into the handle and sheath and engraved onto the blade.
"Wow!" Tim breathed. Noting it was the same type of knife that is Zivas favourite .
"That's better than that pissy knife you carry now." Gibbs said admiring the lethal weapon. "Better carry that everywhere."
"Always got rule nine covered." Tim sassed back to Gibbs which made him smile.
"Come on, Tim." Kelly said, suddenly standing. "Bedtime."
Upstairs in Kelly's old room, which was the master and Gibbs used the smaller one across the hall from the main bathroom, when he slept upstairs because after Shannon died he gave Kelly the room to be closer to her Mother. Kelly pulled a small pharmacy paper bag out of her handbag, inside was a two pack of pregnancy tests.
"I'll just go take one." Kelly said shyly. "Can't believe stupid me, forgot my pill for three days."
"Kel, it's ok." Tim comforted her. "It was a crazy time. You were working and studying full time, I was on back to back cases and then that dog attacked me. Prior to the dog attack, we were sneaking a couple of minutes here, our schedules were crazy. I'm just as neglectful. I'm the one who didn't wear a condom."
Kelly came out three minutes later, tears in her eyes again. "Definitely going to need three bedrooms instead of two." She cried and Tim wrapped his arms around her. The unused test she put back in her purse and the used test she buried in the trash can in amongst some used tissues.
"Are you ok? I know it's not ideal."
"It's perfectly fine." Tim said and kissed her softly. "I love you." He reminded her.
Tim and Kelly woke for their final day in DC before the alarm and made love slowly, before gathering and packing what was left to put in their small suits cases, before Tim took them downstairs and placed them by the door. Ducky and Gibbs met them in the kitchen as they made a light breakfast wordlessly. The air was thick, not with tension, but with emotion. Both Ducky and Gibbs trying to think of how to say goodbye. Kelly was thinking about what transpired upstairs last night and how she felt about the surprise. Tim was full of emotions and each emotion was pulling him in a different direction. He was sad to say goodbye, happy for the new chapter, anxious about Kelly and scared of Gibbs' reaction.
Gibbs and Ducky walked them right to their gate. By the time, they checked ins no got a coffee, it was almost time for the boarding call. "Kell, Tim, not much for goodbyes, but I'll see you both soon." Gibbs said, his voice thick with emotion. "Promise me you'll be ok?"
"I promise." Tim said and Kelly nodded as she threw herself in her fathers arms and hugged him tight as her tears fell.
"We'll see you both next weekend." Gibbs promised as he hugged Tim too. "Take care of both of you." He whispered in Tim's ear.
"May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand." Ducky prayed as they said good bye to him.
"Bye Ducky." Tim said as they made their way to board.
"We'll see you both next week, we love you." Kelly called out as they walked out of the terminal and onto the boarding bridge to board the plane to take them both to their new home in North Carolina.
His house felt empty now, Gibbs decided to take the day off afterwards and no one questioned it, not even Vance. He wanted to be alone. He needed a little wallowing in self pity. 'Actions have fucking consequences, Jethro!' He chastised himself. 'You knew Tony was pushing the wrong buttons and Abby was making his life hell. If you'd stepped in, he wouldn't have felt the need to transfer out.'
After two glasses of bourbon and two hours of wallowing he went up into Kelly's room and gathered their bedding, determined to wash it all, making it fresh in case one or both of them made a flying visit home soon. Going into the bathroom, he grabbed the trash bin from the bin and replacing the liner. As he took it out to the wheelie bin outside the bag caught the locking mechanism on the glass sliding door - which was always loose and catching things, mostly clothes. It ripped open the bag and the rubbish scattered all over the ground. Gibbs made light work of getting a new bag and picking up the rubbish. As he bent to pick up the last wad of tissues he felt a small plastic stick was wrapped inside it. Unwrapping the wad carefully, he bought it up to his line of vision and clear as day he realised he was holding a pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test!