NOTE: Abby's biological brother, Kyle Davis, was introduced on the show in Oct. 2011, Season 9. In story time, we're now in 2013 (the twins were born in February, 2010 and just had their third birthday) so I'm including Kyle as Abby's brother, along with the brother she grew up with, Luca Sciuto, who are both CANON. I've also decided that for the purposes of this 'verse, Kyle and Luca know each other and Luca has a unnamed OC wife and a named semi-OC daughter, the niece Abby once referred to on the show. The semi-OC niece's name is Menolly, just as it was in The Common Thread.
Chapter 17: Crisis, Family, Decisions
Freddie woke to find his parents and brothers Joe and Barry with him. He smiled and without moving his arm, waved at them before closing his eyes again. Lu thought it was the most precious smile she'd ever seen and leaned in to kiss him. He opened his eyes again, managing to ask how long he'd been out.
His dad replied, "A few hours. You had a long surgery and that wore you out."
After a couple sips of water, Fred found it was a little easier to talk, "Glad you're here, all of you. Is Abby all right? I started worrying about her also being attacked."
"She was attacked but doesn't have any life-threatening injuries."
Freddie winced, "Did they catch that maniac?"
"Yes, sweetheart, she's in jail."
"Good. Can't keep my eyes open, sorry."
"Sleep, son, while your body heals."
They watched as he closed his eyes. Two minutes later, he opened them again, "Gonna watch me sleep all day?"
Chuckling, they kissed him and left his room, returning to the waiting room. Four of them visiting together was a singular event, from now on they'd visit in pairs.
Charlotte spoke with Samantha, Freddie's new interest, telling her what had happened. Samantha was torn, her grandmother was in a hospice facility with little time left and she hardly knew Freddie. Certain he would understand, she decided to stick to her original plan of returning at the end of the week.
Once Abby was out of surgery the Gibbses were allowed to briefly visit her in the Recovery room. She was visibly relieved to see them and to hear again that Freddie was alive. She knew he was, she remembered Jim O'Brien telling her in the ambulance but now the awfulness was over and he was still alive, that was wonderful, although the hurting wasn't good. Still…she drifted back to sleep.
When they returned to the waiting room, they discovered Abby's biological brother Kyle Davis there and that Director Vance had updated both him and Luca Sciuto.
When Abby was moved to the ICU until the danger of infection passed, Kyle was the first one to visit her. He'd also been in touch with Luca. Breena and Jimmy followed Kyle in visiting Abby, then Gibbs and Malu, followed by Joe, Charlotte, Barry and Ned, although Abby was asleep by the time Gibbs and Lu saw her in her room. Her brother Luca would arrive from New Orleans that evening.
While the two patients started the long process of healing physically, mentally and emotionally, their family started putting together plans for Fred's recovery, not sure what Kyle and Luca would want to do for Abby's recovery. Luca arrived the day after her surgery, staying with Kyle. Jethro, Lu and Barry met with the two men at Barry and Ned's house to discuss Freddie and Abby's recoveries.
On this particular day, they were still putting together recovery plans and as Luka listened to his sister's other family, he shook his head, looking at Kyle who nodded his agreement. Standing, Luca cleared his throat, "Abby will be in the hospital for at least a month while they work on her hand and leg. Are you talking about afterward? Because my wife and I want to take her home to New Orleans and we really don't want her to be as far away as London."
Kyle cleared his throat, "I agree, Luca. I'll help while she's in the hospital and afterward, taking her to physical therapy."
Malu and Dad wanted to take them both home to Jaxton where there would be plenty of people around him to help. Barry, Joe and Jimmy also had decidedly mixed feelings about that. Along with Freddie and Abby, they'd been the last of the family in the US and weren't thrilled about losing Freddie to the UK even though they knew it would be temporary and it really was the most practical idea. Joe was especially having a hard time with it, having never lived farther away from his brother than across the hall since they were in primary school. They'd been best friends since they were 5 years old, growing up and then building a business together.
It was something Charlotte had realized early on in her relationship with Joe, although she hadn't worried about it. Now she worried about Joe carrying the business by himself as well as being separated from Freddie.
When Lu and Jethro realized the situation, they turned their plan around. They'd stay in the US until Freddie was up and around. Once Freddie's apartment was cleaned, they'd stay there in what had once been Jose's bedroom. That way they could also see Abby every day. They'd drive Freddie's car, take him to therapy and doctor appointments, and would stay until their son was deemed well enough to live on his own again.
They apologized to Luca and Kyle for seeming to co-opt their sister and both nodded, saying they knew from Abby that Jethro had always taken care of his family when they were sick or hurt. The two men would be happy if the couple would visit Abby while she was undergoing additional surgeries so that Kyle could continue to work until she was out of the hospital and Luca could return to work and come up on his days off. Then when she was discharged, Kyle would be able to take her to and from the physical therapy they'd been told she'd need and eventually, Luca would take their sister home to New Orleans.
Feeling better for having a plan they all agreed to, the Gibbses told Barry and Jimmy that for this week, they'd stay with Barry and Ned as they were too exhausted to move again.
Two weeks later, Jethro and Lu took overnight bags to stay with Ducky for a few days. Despite the help from Abby's brother Kyle and their sons, both were exhausted and Jimmy said each needed downtime. Reluctantly he'd told them that the apartment he and Breena lived in was too small for overnight guests but that Ducky was more than willing to have them stay at his place.
As it turned out, it was a good thing they stayed at Ducky's. By now, Ducky had been diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia and had strict orders as to his medical regimen. When the Gibbses arrived to stay with him, they realized he wasn't paying as much attention to his health as he should be. Within 24 hours he was on his way by train to Mac's place in Florida, accompanied by Dr. Jimmy.
Mac's apartment in the retirement complex had two bedrooms and Ducky would be quite comfortable in the second one. He was instructed, some might say ordered in the most loving way, to stay in Florida until the doctors there gave him a clean bill of health. Jimmy flew home with a certainty that Mac Fielding would make sure Ducky followed orders, even if the retired doctor still felt he knew best.
When Jimmy returned home, he and Breena invited Lu and Jethro for dinner one evening. Over their delicious roast chicken, the newlyweds told them grandbaby #5 was on its way. They'd completed their first trimester and were due in late August. With parts of the younger members of the family in Greece as early as mid-April, they planned to join Susannah and Ian in Varkiza. Breena's doctor didn't want her taking any 12 hour transatlantic trips past her 6th month.
She had also been told that she could no longer work in the 'back room' of her family's mortuary. As there were no other available positions for her, she was already on paid maternity leave. Her father had been through this with Breena's sisters when they were pregnant and this time managed to be gracious, or at least not outright surly, about it. Deciding they'd need a week to adjust to the time changes, Jimmy and Breena planned to spend three weeks in Varkiza.
The Gibbses felt bad about Tim and Artie's Paris trip. They'd planned to take care of the twins for the time the couple would be away. They felt better when told their son and daughter-in-law had scaled back the length of their trip and that the Powells and the senior Clachers would stay with the twins. The Clachers would come for the first few days, not wanting to be away from Susannah for too long while the Powells planned to be there the whole time. Sarah would be on hand to help as well; she loved being an aunty. The twins would also spend time at nursery as they did every week, playing with their friends.
While Lu and Jethro were relieved at the new plan, they were also a bit jealous. The twins were their grandkids! Then they laughed at themselves, with as many adult children as they had they needed to learn to share and just be happy there were good people, good friends, willing to help.
In the meantime, once Freddie was out of danger from infection and moved to a regular hospital room, Joe sat down with Charlotte and together they decided on a few necessary changes to get the business through the crisis. With Freddie's doctor's permission, Joe presented the plan to his brother, who agreed. Two additional plumbers were hired and were trained by Freddie's protégé. Both did well and that relieved a great deal of stress.
The other thing Joe did was to hire a business manager. He and Freddie had handled the business matters by themselves since the start but the two of them talked about it again while Freddie was still in the hospital, realizing it was time. Their business was successful, still growing and they no longer had to handle everything themselves. That made both of them feel better, knowing it was a conclusion they would have reached soon anyway.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Freddie was in the hospital for three and a half weeks, arriving home to find his apartment repaired and cleaned, with sturdier locks installed along with several of Tim's alarms on his door and windows. He was up and walking, slowly and with great care not to jostle his healing wounds. Watching him, his father once again gave thanks that Ned, his team and the medics had reached him in time. During his time in the Corps and the agency, he'd seen far too many people bleed out in minutes from the type of wound inflicted on his son.
Abby was also out of the hospital, staying with Kyle, although like Freddie she was there every day for therapy. The hand specialist who'd first operated on her managed to repair all the damage in three surgeries, now it was a matter of therapy and healing.
Once she transitioned from daily to twice weekly therapy, she'd move to New Orleans to live with Luca and his family. At this point, the doctors and therapists were still unwilling to commit to a final prognosis, although the problem was not so much her hand as one of her leg wounds which had been troublesome from the start.
Their attacker was in a psychiatric hospital for a 72 hour observation that had now lasted the entire time that Freddie and Abby were in the hospital. She'd been declared incompetent to stand trial.
Freddie and Abby's families hadn't been told what the prognosis was for the attacker, nor did they particularly want to know. Once Sara Jane Pruitt was deemed competent her trial would be scheduled.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
In Jaxton and London, the family continued in good heart, knowing their loved ones were giving Freddie and Abby the love and support they needed. The day after the attack, everyone involved, including NCIS SAC Zhao, had been interviewed by the London FBI team as to their actions surrounding the attack.
In the meantime, life continued. Artie thought Maggie was pregnant again and understood that she and Tony might want to keep the news to themselves until they saw Malu and Dad. She mentioned her thoughts to Tim, who smiled. "That would be great and their baby will be the same age as our Clacher niece or nephew. I agree, let's not ask or say anything."
One afternoon, Artie was in their walk-in closet, sorting through her clothes for what she wanted to take to Paris. When her favorite carry-on bag kept getting in her way, she put it up on a shelf, only to have it fall on her head! Annoyed, she grabbed the thing and removed it from the closet, tossing it on their bed. Landing on its side, something fell out of it.
Now curious as well as annoyed, she picked up the something and was surprised to find a crumpled legal sized envelope with Tim's name handwritten on the front. Picking up the bag, she had a vague memory of finding things on the floor of the closet at the rental house in Arlington and throwing them in her bag. She found the second something, a slightly less crumpled envelope that also had her husband's name handwritten on it. Shrugging, she put the bag back in the closet, smoothed out both envelopes and went to find Tim. She hoped the contents of the envelopes hadn't been anything time sensitive!
Finding Tim swimming laps in the pool, the twins were napping, when he looked up she waved the envelopes at him. Puzzled, he climbed out and grabbed a towel, drying his hands. "What's that?"
"Two envelopes I found on the floor of our closet in Arlington in December. I stuffed them in my carry-on bag and forgot about them. I just found them."
He raised an eyebrow, picked up one and looked at the other one. He chuckled, "This is Leon's handwriting. They must be the envelopes he gave me the day he and Sailes crashed Tobias and Gail's wedding lunch." He looked at his wife, "They each gave Tobias envelopes and Dad got one as well. After they handed out those, Leon gave me these and I put them in my jacket pocket. Obviously they must have fallen out and I'd already forgotten about them. I remember thinking it couldn't be a check because I hadn't sent either agency the final invoices for the New Mexico training. And why would Vance give me both envelopes? I didn't even notice both are addressed in his handwriting."
Artie gave him a look and laughing, he opened one of the envelopes. In it he found a formal document saying that in gratitude for his diligence in pursuing an answer to a troubling gap in knowledge and then spending 14 months of his life training Field Agents and Cyber Crime Specialists to close that gap, the undersigned, the Secretary of Defense, the US Attorney General, the Director of Naval Intelligence, the Secretary of the Navy, the Directors of NCIS and the FBI did proclaim him an honorary Field Agent and Cyber Crime Specialist for life for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
He smiled at that, happy to be recognized and even happier to be named as a Field Agent and Cyber Crime Specialist for both agencies for life, even if it was honorary.
There was another piece of paper in the envelope. That was a handwritten note that said in lieu of a monetary thank-you, a donation, Tim raised both eyebrows at the amount, had been made in his name to one of his favorite children's charities.
Artie took the document from him. "This is wonderful, my love, I'm so proud of you!"
"Of us, sweetie, we did this together. You put your work on hold to go with me and moved around for 14 months, although it sure seemed longer! Our parents were also with us, except while we were in DC at Ducky's."
She nodded and they kissed. When they came up for air she said, "I'll steam the wrinkles out and then have it framed or perhaps Jethro will make a frame for you. You can hang it in your office."
He nodded with a smile, still absorbing the message and the amount of the donation. Later he was to find out that it was a percentage of the money saved, for both agencies, in finding leads and closing the active cases they'd worked in class. He was glad it went to a charity for future American taxpayers!
Artie stayed while he opened the second envelope. That contained a savings bond for the twins and was a personal thanks for their parents' time and efforts. The note was signed by Henry Sailes and Leon Vance.
There was also a handwritten letter from Leon to Tim saying he hadn't forgotten their discussion about returning to the agency, that the offer would remain open as long as he was director of NCIS. He handed it to Artie to read and she smiled, saying, "Well, if and when you're ready, it's a possibility."
They smiled at each other.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
As for expanding their little family, they'd been making inquiries about fostering and adopting in the UK, as well as in the US. In his office one afternoon, Tim was working on his laptop when his phone rang with a call from D'Arcy McKinna. He answered, saying, "Good morning, D'Arcy."
"Good afternoon, Tim. Do you have some time to talk? I have some questions and possibly an opportunity."
"Yes although I'd like my wife to join us. She's in her office next door. Shall I put you on hold for a minute or call you back?"
"I'll hold."
Tim put her on hold and found Artie, who joined him in his office. He introduced Artie to D'Arcy and then said, "D'Arcy, this is costing you a fortune. Do you have access to Skype?"
"Yes."
"If you'll give me the contact info, we'll call you on Skype."
"Thank you." She gave him the information and they disconnected, reconnecting via Skype on Tim's laptop.
Smiling, D'Arcy inquired after the family and they showed her a current photo of the twins and then one of the entire family at Christmas. She laughed, "That's wonderful that you've extended the family so far!"
Her smile disappearing, she leaned forward, "I heard about Abby and your brother Freddie, what a horrible thing to happen, thank heavens they both survived! How are they doing?"
"Much better, thank you. They're both out of the hospital, our parents are still over there helping out and Abby is leaving for New Orleans next week, to stay with one of her brothers and his family while she continues her physical therapy."
"That's good news, please give both my best, although your brother doesn't know me! Now, Tim, I have a couple of questions for you and one is very personal. It's up to you to allow the question or not." A little perplexed, he nodded and she continued, "Have you ever been a donor at a sperm bank? As I said, you don't have to answer if you prefer not to, this is me being curious not an official question!"
Surprised, he shook his head and she nodded, "Have you ever met or heard of a woman named Stacey March?"
Tim thought a moment and then shook his head again. D'Arcy tilted her head with a smile, "All right, here's the mystery. The woman named Stacey March died a few months ago, leaving two young children without any family. They're in foster care together and are doing all right but here's the weird thing. In her will, Ms. March asked that Timothy Jackson Gibbs be her children's legal guardian. Her children were conceived through IVF, with a sperm bank donor and of course they won't release the donor's name to us. As she wouldn't know the donor's name either, I don't know how she came up with your name."
Artie and Tim looked at each other. Artie pulled out her phone, accessing a search engine and inputting 'Timothy Gibbs'. Spotting a result that was a possible answer, she backtracked and typed in Thom E Gemcity. Watching her, Tim shook his head, "Artemis might have solved the mystery. My author's name is Thom E Gemcity, an anagram for Timothy McGee. I know there are fan sites, or there used to be, where readers have revealed that. Also, I filed for my name change in the US, so that record would show as former name Timothy McGee to new name Timothy Jackson Gibbs. That might have been what happened."
D'Arcy made a face, "Thank you, that's been nagging at me! She must have been a fan of you and your books. Now, here's the opportunity. The children are named Liam and Chloe. Liam is almost 2 ½, his birthday is in December and Chloe will be 2 in May, next month. They're full DNA siblings although Chloe was carried by a gestational host. They're very close to each other and to tell you the truth, look enough like you to have me ask you about being a sperm donor! Liam is toilet trained and Chloe is in training now. Both are healthy, bright children, right on target in their development. They faltered when their mother died but have adapted well while still mourning her. Would you be at all interested in taking them as fosters or possibly adoptees?"
Artie wondered, "Where are they living now?"
"They're in Hammond, Indiana, close to Chicago. However, their placement with their current foster family was and still is meant to be temporary. And before they were placed with the family, the husband applied for a job overseas and he's recently been told he got the job."
Artie looked at Tim, who gave her a little nod. He wasn't sure what she had in mind but he trusted it would be something helpful. She turned to the screen, "Ms. McKinna, do you know where the foster family is moving and when?"
"Yes and please call me D'Arcy. He'll be teaching at an international school in Athens, Greece, and they plan to leave for Greece on May 11th."
"Thank you, D'Arcy, I'm Artemis. Do you know if the school is in Athens? I know there is an international school there; however, a branch of their administrative offices is also in Athens and there's also a second campus in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece."
"The address says Athens." She spelled the street name and Artie nodded, "Yes, that's the school, thank you."
Tim grinned at his wife, "That's a great idea! D'Arcy, a couple of things: First, yes, we're very interested in adopting the children. We'd like to meet them online through Skype, and then stay in touch with them through Skype until they move. Secondly, there's no way we can get to Indiana to meet them in person before they leave. We're already relying on my sister's in-laws and Artemis' sister's in-laws for childcare over the next few weeks so we can stick with plans we've had in place for 4 years.
"When we come home from that trip, we're turning around and leaving for Athens a few days later and we're staying until July. We've already reserved a vacation rental with plenty of room to include the March children. So, again, the answer is yes, we'd love to meet them and become their foster and eventual adoptive parents. However, it looks like the only way to get them to us is if their foster parents are willing to bring them to Greece with them. We'll pay for the costs for the children. Also, Nikki and Bill said the house here was inspected and approved for bringing Jasper home, is there any chance, oh no, that won't work."
"I was planning to use the same inspection."
"Thank you; however, we've done some renovating since then. We added an elevator from the basement to the third floor, with secured doors at every stop. And we made the room Nikki, Bill and Jasper were living in into a suite, so there are two bedrooms and a lounge, that's the living room. They also have a microwave and mini-fridge to heat Jasper's night-time bottles, although he's done with those now. At the same time, we added a room onto our suite, so that we have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living room. That happened in December."
"All right, I'll put in a rush for a new inspection. We don't need to look at Nikki and Bill's suite, just yours and the elevator, for safety. I'm sure you have all the paperwork."
She was surprised when they both smiled. Artemis explained, "I'm a civil engineer and architect and both the elevator installation and the room renovations were my projects. Anthony Gibbs, who you probably know as Tony DiNozzo, owns this house and has the original paperwork. I also have copies."
"Wonderful! Does Tony live there with you?"
"No, he and his family live in a townhouse he also inherited, in London."
"Then once I send in the request, if I send you the contact information, will you please send a copy of the elevator and the building renovations to our international contact?"
"Yes, I'd be happy to. Are either Chloe or Liam still in cribs? We have one, oh no we don't, Jasper's using that and McKenna has the other one."
"I believe they're both sleeping in twin beds."
"And do they share a room presently?"
"Yes and that's fine."
"Our twins share, so we can move Jack and Liam together when they're a little older and Ellanni and Chloe together."
"Ellanni, that's a beautiful name, what's it mean?"
Tim smiled, "As far as we know, we made it up. It's a combination of Ella, my mother's name is Luella, and my paternal grandmother's name, Anne. It's really Ellanne but we usually replace the 'e' with an 'i'."
"Lovely. Now, they are 6 hours behind London, when's a good time to schedule your first Skype call?"
"Let's try for a weekend, might be easier on them. Say their noon and our 6 PM? We can do 6 PM any day, as long as we know ahead of time, until we leave on April 9th."
"All right, so noon their time is 6 PM your time. That's easy, thanks! Let's make sure I have your needs correctly. You'll already be in Greece when they get there and will take the children then and you're willing to pay for the children's transportation and any visa fees for Greece. The children already have passports, so those will work until you get them home to the United Kingdom and we'll have a letter of permission for both sets of parents to take them out of the US and also from Greece to the UK. Is that right?"
Tim hooked an eyebrow at Artie. She gave him a quick nod and turned back to the screen, "Yes and we have more questions. Do the foster parents have other children who are flying with them?"
"They do have other children but they're grown and are not going with them."
"All right, thanks. We know from experience that flying with young children can be an adventure and it sounds like they're not anticipating taking the children to Greece with them. To show them our appreciation, we'll pay for the children's tickets and visa fees and we'll pay to upgrade their foster parents' tickets to Business class. So they will fly Business class for the four of them."
"From Indiana to Athens? They'll probably fly out of Chicago's O'Hare airport."
"Yes."
"My heavens, are you sure?"
Tim nodded, "Yes. That's far too long a flight to fly economy if it can be avoided. And we're paying for the upgrade, so it won't be as astronomical as it sounds. Did you say Chloe isn't 2 yet?"
"I did; however she will have her 2nd birthday before they leave. So she won't be a lap baby, I know that much about airlines!"
"Great, that's a relief! I can't imagine a 23 month old toddler sitting on a lap for 10 hours!"
"Thank you so much! Let me call them right now and I'll let you know as soon as possible. Artemis, I'll also send out that rush inspection request."
They disconnected and then sat, looking at each other. "Did we just say yes to two children we haven't met yet?"
"Two orphans who need a new home and," Artie grinned, "are already potty trained! New kids, no diapers!"
"And one of each, that'll be nice for the twins. How long has it been?"
"Two minutes. I'm going to take a quick look at something. What are you doing?"
"I had a new idea for writing a journal of our lives in a 'foreign country'. I'm no Bill Bryson but I thought it would be fun. Sweetie, I don't think Paddington will allow the Brudegans to fly with them, there won't be one of us with them and we can't vouch for them."
"Oh, phooey, I forgot about that. I'll look anyway, Tony and Nigel are always talking about business dealings in the US."
She pulled up the Paddington jet schedule and looked. "Huh, there's a flight to Chicago a few days before their departure date, let me see if…" she stopped talking as she scrolled down the screen, "It's returning, no, that won't work. Someone must be going for a series of meetings or vacation, they're not returning for 10 days."
Tim chuckled, "Sounds like a combination of business and fun to me. What were you doing before all this?"
She laughed, "Poking around the internet looking for projects that don't start until September."
"Good idea. Any place in particular?"
"Now it will be close to home. Prior to that call, I was thinking France, then we could all go stay there for the duration."
Tim laughed, "We could still do that, we would just need three bedrooms wherever we stay instead of two. Trying to get back at me for DC and New Mexico?"
"No, I enjoyed staying with Ducky, getting to know him better and New Mexico was also fun. I haven't had time to tell you yet, my company won a bid on another project for Ms. Webster, in Dresden, Germany. She's thrilled!"
"Wow, that's wonderful! Your business is spreading its wings!"
She smiled, "I know, it's very exciting. You know, since this is our first solo project in Germany, I may have to drop in to see how it's going. That would be a fun trip for us."
He grinned, "Let's put it on the list!"
He looked back at his screen, viewing flights from Chicago to Athens, seats in Business Class, wanting an idea of what they'd need to pay. His eyes widened at the prices, until he remembered to filter for one way tickets and to price out Economy, they would be paying the difference, although from what he read, it wouldn't be that clear cut. Then he relaxed as he saw the new listings, although he seemed to have lost the flight he'd been looking at. He laughed at himself, he'd written down the Business class flight numbers and estimated times, number of stops and the costs, that was enough! Telling his wife, she was pleased, "That's not as bad as I was afraid it might be! I was anticipating almost double that."
They smiled when the laptop chimed with another Skype call. It was D'Arcy and she had the foster parents in a second window. "Hello again! I found the Brudegans at home and they asked to meet you. So here we are! Timothy Gibbs and Artemis Midei, I'd like you to meet Lesa and Rob Brudegan."
They exchanged hellos and Tim and Artie asked to see photos of the children. They smiled as several photos were held up to the screen. Artie smiled, "They're darling and yes, D'Arcy, they do look a bit like Tim."
The other couple nodded and then looked at them as if they didn't know where to start. Tim decided to jump in, "Wondering about all the flight stuff?"
"Yes, that's an incredible amount of money."
"We have 3 year old twins and have traveled with them since they were four months old and that was from San Francisco to DC and then here, to London. We know firsthand what a harrowing experience that can be for everyone. It sounded like you expected the children to be placed in new homes before you left, I know D'Arcy did.
"Although we want to give Liam and Chloe a home and bring them home ourselves, we've had an emergency situation in the US. Part of our family lives in the US and two of them, my brother and sister, were critically injured a few weeks ago. They survived but my parents, who live here with us, flew over to take care of them while they recuperate. That threw all other plans out the window, from February through most of the spring. Which is fine, my brother and sister come first, we're all grateful they're alive to still need us! However, it's left us without any time to fly to Indiana and back before you leave."
"All right. I'm glad your brother has support. My parents died when I was just finishing college."
Tim nodded, "I grew up without parents, several of us grew up together and we're family. I have 3 sisters and 8 brothers, including the ones who were injured and we were all adopted by a couple we know and love dearly. Then Artemis and I unexpectedly came into some money which has given us new impetus for one of our goals, that is to help as many children as we can who are in need of love, homes, parents and family." Tim didn't think Abby or Ziva would mind being included as adopted in his explanation. They'd never meet these people!
"Wow, that's incredible. So, Ms. McKinna said you had questions about our move. The school is paying our airfare and for 14 days housing in Greece and we'll be in Athens. If you're willing to pay the airfare for the children, yes, we'll bring them to you in Athens. And we think you're crazy but we'll also accept your offer to upgrade to Business Class for the four of us. Although that still boggles my mind, thank you from all of us!"
Artemis smiled, "We're happy to do it. Have you made your flight reservations yet?"
"We were in the middle of doing that when Ms. McKinna called, so we jotted down the flight numbers we were looking at and exited out. We've only been to Europe once and that was when we were in our mid-20s. Lesa was working for a company that gave a discount for flights on a charter. We jumped at the chance and didn't mind the cattle boat in the air that it was because we were going to Europe!"
Lesa laughed, "All I remember is that it was all one class, there were four restrooms, 2 in the front, 2 in the rear of the plane and you had to get in line for either at least an hour before you even needed to use them. I remember telling Rob that when I got my drink, I was going to get in line as I drank it. It was noisy and hot, neither of us slept. Of course, the plane was full of people our age, I doubt anyone slept! We stayed in hostels all over the continent. Since then, we've traveled the US, including Hawai'i and Alaska, along with the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Canada, Mexico and Belize. We feel very brave about flying to Europe again!"
Tim and Artie laughed at their descriptions and Tim shook his head, "Since your last trek over here, the rules for charters and flying in general have apparently changed a great deal."
Artie asked if they'd found a place to stay in Athens.
Rob replied, "We've been looking online at the travel sites, haven't reserved anything yet."
She smiled, "I'm Greek and have family near Athens. If you'd like, I can send you some recommendations for well kept, safe, relatively inexpensive and comfortable hotels for those two weeks as well as ideas for good neighborhoods in Athens and some of its suburbs. I'm excited for you!"
"Thanks, the information will be a great help and we're also excited for us! Our biological children are all grown, on their own and scattered around the country. I'm not ready to retire but I am tired of teaching where I have been for 30 years. I applied to the International Schools on a whim, we listed our preferences for countries and I got the job! We ordered language tapes online and started learning to speak and understand Greek yesterday."
The foster children joined the Brudegans and said hello, both curious. When they heard they were going to live with them and that there were other children to play with, they jumped up and down, hugging their foster parents and each other.
Once all the questions were answered, they made arrangements to work out the details for the airfare, scheduled several more calls and then said goodbye, blowing kisses to the children.
Artie said, "We need two more twin beds, here and in Greece."
"All right. I don't remember where we purchased the twins' new beds, do you?"
She shook her head and Tim pulled up a folder labeled receipts on his laptop and they found the name of the store where they'd purchased the mattresses and frames with drawers underneath after returning from New Mexico. The toddler beds had been tucked into storage for the next nieces or nephews who needed them.
They also advised the owner of their vacation rental that they were adding two more young children to the guest list and that both were toilet trained and would sleep in single beds. The owner wrote back, saying he'd exchange one of the doubles for two additional singles, thanking them for letting him know ahead of time.
When the Brudegans were ready to book their flight, they sent Tim the information and he sent the funds via an online service for the children's Business Class tickets and the cost of the upgrade to Business Class for the adult tickets. Because they'd been allowed to upgrade, apparently that was sometimes a problem, the cost was much less than Tim and Artie anticipated.
In the meantime, he and Artie were excitedly preparing for their trip to Paris and Skyping with Chloe, Liam and their foster parents, introducing them to Jack and Ellanni. The twins understood that when they were all in Greece, the younger children were coming to live with them and would also live with them here in Jaxton. They were excited about having a new brother and sister that they could play with right away. That last bit was a result of one of their nursery friends who'd been upset that his new baby sister couldn't play at all and cried too much.
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The great day arrived for their departure to Paris and Bill drove them to the train station. They were taking two suitcases, neither of which was heavy. Tim thought it was funny that Artie insisted they both needed new clothes for Paris when they would probably buy more there. And then they had to wear the new clothes at home a few times so they wouldn't look too new. When he said something about it to Bill, the two men looked at each other, bursting into laughter.
The train ride was pleasant. By now, they'd been to the continent enough times to be unconcerned about the few minutes they were under the English Channel. When they lived in California, they became so accustomed to riding BART under San Francisco Bay that they rarely thought about it.
They were pleased when they pulled into the station in Paris. The city is lovely, especially in the spring when the flowers are in bloom and the trees covered with new leaves. Checking into their hotel, they hung up their clothes, changed into their slightly worn new clothes and set off for their first walk. As they'd been once already, a long weekend sometime in the last three years, they wanted to see more of some things and many other things new to them. It was wonderful to be there by themselves and not have to hurry to see and experience everything. They saw all four children every day on Skype calls and talked with their caregivers as well. They bought cute things for Susannah and Ian's baby and for Jimmy and Breena's baby. They also found a few 'just in case' things for Tony and Maggie's possible 2nd child. They also bought clothes and toys for all four of their children, McKenna and little Jasper as well as souvenirs for family and friends.
They walked as much as possible, stopping in parks, watching children play, relaxing at outdoor tables with an afternoon coffee or treat. They ate at a different restaurant every night and loved them all. They took boat tours and the 'on and off' boat tours Lu and Jethro recommended. They spent hours in the museums and galleries, splurging on two pieces of art they had shipped home. They also fell in love with a painting done by a street artist and purchased it from him. He put it in a tube for them and then attached a length of twine so Tim could carry the tube slung over his shoulder. They thought they'd have to carry it home but the concierge at their hotel helped them mail it to Jaxton.
By the time they packed for home, they were well satisfied with everything they'd experienced. Of course, the time they'd spent together, just the two of them, was the most important, especially as they were about to become the parents of four!
They'd originally planned to fly home but took the train again, savoring the last day of their trip.
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The twins met them at the train station with Uncle Geo and the Cayenne, jumping up and down when they saw their parents waving at them from the train window as it pulled into the station. The children and their parents were very happy to see each other. As much fun as their trip was, they'd greatly missed their babies and were relieved to be home with them.
While they started laundering their Paris vacation clothes, they separated what they'd need for Greece. Then they made sure everything was ready in Liam and Chloe's room, made their new beds with the fun new covers they'd ordered and put new plushy toys on their pillows. The twins also had new plushy toys and carried them everywhere.
Once all the souvenirs were unpacked, they were carried into the kitchen for their family to select what they wanted. There were also wrapped and tagged gifts and those were also set out. They'd already sent thank you cards and special gifts from Paris to the Clachers and the Powells. Thank you cards and special gifts were also given to the resident caregivers.
As they sat with the family at dinner that night, they learned that Freddie was flying with their parents for the 'early bird' trek to Greece. He'd stay with them and then go home either in May when the Palmers left or later in June when Joe, Char, Barry and Ned did. They were all happy about that, anxious to see him in person after everything that had happened.
They were also told that Abby had departed for New Orleans, taking the train with her sister-in-law and niece. Abby sent a voice text to Dad and Malu that they'd arrived safely and had a great time on the train.
Friday morning, those traveling to Greece took a taxi van, large enough to hold Grandpa, Uncle LJ, Charlie, Papi Barnes, the Anthony Gibbses and the Timothy Gibbses and their luggage to the FBO, where they waited for the overnight flight from DC to arrive with the US 'early birds'.
They were ready to board, the children nearly jumping in excitement when the jet landed. As the flight had a tight departure time, no one disembarked and a crew member took their luggage while they followed the older men, hurrying up the gangway with the twins, their safety seats and carry-on bags with Tony, Maggie, McKenna behind them. As they boarded, they grinned at the other passengers who were cheering, waved and quickly found seats. They were off again in a few minutes.
When the seat belt light blinked off, Tim and Artie took the twins to see their grandparents and Uncle Freddie. All four of them nearly threw themselves at Malu-Grama and Dad-Poppy. They were far more careful with Freddie who looked like skin and bones although they knew he was much better than he'd been.
The twins gently hugged and kissed him as he thanked them for all the recordings, drawings and paintings they'd done for him. They'd made up little stories that were recorded and sent to him along with recordings of them singing to him, joined by their parents and sometimes everyone in the Jaxton household. One rainy afternoon, almost all the residents sat in the lounge, recording a 'round robin' story about Freddie the human meeting his favorite fictional character, Freddie the Pig and several of his friends. They'd planned it out ahead of time so there was plenty of content as well as the fun chaos frequently involved in the Gibbs' brothers' doings. Of course, Aunt Abby had had her own set of recordings, drawings and paintings!
Malu reported that Freddie laughed so hard, they had to stop the Freddie the Pig story recording several times and it took an entire afternoon to listen to the whole tale.
Now, after greeting his parents and brother, Tim started at the back of the jet, hugging and kissing nearly everyone he came across. Both Cousin Richard and Ducky looked well-rested with light tans and Tim discovered that Richard had also spent March and part of April in Florida, rooming with a friend of Mac's who also had two bedrooms.
He stopped in surprise when he saw Ziva and Brian! Both laughed and Ziva explained, "When Breena called and told us they were coming over early and why, we decided that would also be better for us. This way, I'll be home when the ballet summer session starts and Brian has been chosen for a special project at the UN!"
After shaking Brian's hand and kissing Ziva, Tim said hello to Brian's parents, Ben and Julie Metzger, who were sitting across from them.
Brian's father Ben was a retired police officer and that meant instant connections for him with Tim, Poppy, Barry, George Powell and the rest of the Feds in the family. It also meant that the man understood some of the little he could be told of Ziva's past and a lot about her adoptive father, brothers and in-laws. Brian's mother Julie was a retired nurse who was amused that Brian's girlfriend's family seemed to be either law enforcement, military or medical people, mentally including Breena in that category. When she'd met Mimi, also a retired nurse, she was happy to have someone else medical who was not a doctor. Later she met Rhode Elytis, Artie and Suse's stepmother, adding one more medical person as Rhode was an occupational therapist.
Still greeting everyone on the flight, Tim hugged Jimmy and kissed Breena on the cheek. She wasn't due until August but looked ready to pop any time. She chuckled at the look on his face, "It's just one baby, he's a big little guy. They're predicting he'll be 8 ½ pounds by the time he's born. My mom says my brother Stevie was 9 pounds!"
Tim went back to his parents for another hug and to collect his children while his wife continued saying hello to everyone. Then it was Tony, McKenna and Maggie's turn to make the rounds. The older men along with Dick and Charlie waved to everyone, saying they'd save 'proper greetings' until they were on the ground.
With all the catching up, the flight seemed to take about half the time it actually did. After a smooth landing, they walked down the gangway, found their luggage and got in line for Customs while Artie, the twins, Tony and McKenna got in the EU line. Since their last trip to Greece, Tony had claimed his UK citizenship, passed from his mother. McKenna had the same citizenship status as her father, although they had to apply for her UK citizenship, and the same passports. Maggie had also applied for UK citizenship but hadn't yet heard anything. Thinking about that, Tim made a note on his phone to apply for EU passports, based on Artie's citizenship, for Liam and Chloe as soon as their adoptions were final.
When everyone was through the lines, they headed for the car rental counters. Tim and Artie rented a 14 passenger van large enough for four child safety seats and all their luggage, thanks to the cargo carrier on the top of the van. Once again, they led the caravan to Varkiza and were happy to park in the shaded driveway of their vacation rental.
Their parents were in a larger house this year, still next door but on the other side of Tim and Artie's place than last year, with Freddie and the five elderly men, Jack, LJ, Richard, Ducky and Mac, staying with them. Hearing about the early bird trek, Mac joined them this year and when they flew home in three weeks, he would go straight from DC to his beach house in Delaware. Uncle Charlie and Papi Barnes were sharing a two bedroom vacation apartment in a building across the street from Tim and Artie's place.
Within an hour, just about everyone was on the beach, Mimi, Ian, Susannah, Fiona and Alastair joining them for a happy reunion. There were several photos taken of Susannah and Breena, the two pregnant women, together. They had a group dinner in Mimi's backyard that evening, including Brian's parents, the senior Metzgers. As the others sat, Maggie and Tony remained standing and Artie squeezed Tim's hand.
Maggie grinned, "Suse, Breena, I want more photos of pregnant ladies taken tomorrow because we're also pregnant! Our baby is due in October and McKenna is very happy she'll have a little sister!"
After loud applause and kisses and hugs from the grandparents and great-grandparents, there was a silence and then Tim and Artie stood. Their housemates, Tony, Maggie and Dick knew about Liam and Chloe but they'd kept it as a surprise for Malu, Dad and the US folks. Tim saw the surprise on his father's face and chuckled to himself as it was still difficult to surprise Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
He and Artie looked at each other, grinning before saying, "We decided to skip the whole pregnancy thing this time. We're adding two children, siblings, to our family at the end of next week when they arrive from the US with their former foster parents. Their names are Chloe, who just had her second birthday and Liam, who will be 31 months old by the time he gets here. They were orphaned several months ago and have been in a temporary foster home until they could be placed in permanent homes. As it happened, we were contacted by the same person who helped Nikki and Bill with Jasper. She told us about these children, who were living in Indiana but whose foster parents were moving to Greece. We didn't have time to fly to Indiana so they'll join us here."
"Have you met them?"
"Yes, we've met them on Skype and have spoken with them several times. The twins have also met them and spoken with them on all but our first call. We planned to have our housemates meet them online but decided it would be too confusing."
Jethro grinned, "Congratulations, Tim, Artie, Ellanni and Jack! I can't wait to meet your new little ones." He shook his head, "Must be jet lag, I've already lost track of how many new grandchildren we're expecting."
Lu smiled happily, "Four and that's eight altogether."
Susannah shook her head, "No. Well, yes, but Malu, Ian and I want you and Jethro to be our children's maternal grandparents, along with Papa Peter and Yaya Rhode. Please?"
Ian nodded, "So if you agree, the number is five and nine altogether."
The couple happily agreed, with cheers from everyone.
Grandpa Jack laughed, turning to Mac, Ducky and LJ, "I told you they'd be giving us more great-grands!" Mimi, sitting with Ducky, nodded, "For me as well, Jack!"
Although the UK group had only flown four hours, they were nearly as tired as the US group that evening and everyone turned in early.
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With the new children arriving in a week and knowing their lives would be focused on the four children when they arrived, Tim and Artie first made sure that they had everything the little ones would need and then plunged into spending their days with those who would only be there for a limited time.
Since meeting their father, Peter Lekkas and his wife, Rhode Elytis, Susannah and Artemis had kept in touch with them, keeping them up to date with what was happening in their lives. When Tim and Artie traveled, they sent postcards and now had little gifts from Tim's assignments and their wanderings for Artie's half-siblings.
Rhode and Mimi had, with long distance assistance from Artemis, Fiona Clacher and Lu, arranged to have a surprise baby shower for Suse at the Lekkas home while they were here. When the Palmers announced their pregnancy and early trip to Varkiza, the party grew to include Breena and Lu contacted Ginny Slater, Breena's mother, for ideas.
The party was also relocated to the beach, where it would take place their first Sunday, giving the US travelers an extra day to settle in. It also gave the organizers an extra day to include Maggie although this was not her first child. Artemis had already given the organizers a 'heads-up' that she believed Maggie was pregnant, so they had several things ready in case of an announcement. She would now be included.
After a relaxing Saturday on the beach, occasionally hanging out under the beach umbrellas they'd brought from their rentals, a few portable grills appeared and soon the group was enjoying a delicious dinner. Those who'd flown from the US had been coming and going all day, returning to their rooms for naps. Freddie slept most of the day, although he was in the shade under a beach umbrella. He was occasionally wakened by the family doctors to eat, drink, take a walk on the beach and then allowed to sleep again. They agreed that the fresh air and the company of more of his family and extended family was a wonderful balm for the recovering man.
Sunday dawned bright and clear as Alastair, Fiona, Ducky and Mimi slipped quietly from Mimi's home early, meeting Rhode and Peter on the beach to set up for the party. They were back home before either Ian or Suse woke.
The senior Metzgers, Brian and Ziva had wakened early, had breakfast and decided to walk to the beach to see if they could help prepare for the surprise party. Always grateful for more helpers, Mimi put them to work.
Julie, Brian's mother, smiled as she helped Mimi. She'd noticed yesterday that Ziva's brother Tim's grandmother-in-law made as big a fuss over the other two pregnant woman as she did over her own granddaughter's pregnancy. She'd already noticed that with the American family on the way over, no one was left out of anything. That was important as it meant Ziva's family and extended family appreciated the importance of strong familial ties.
By 10:30, almost all of the visitors and all but one of the party planners were on the beach. The three pregnant women weren't there yet when the last of the party planners arrived, a complete surprise to all but Mimi, Ducky and Rhode. As the surprise guests approached the beach, Rhode and Mimi took a mystified Lu to meet them. When Lu saw Ginny Slater, Breena's mother, she gave a little cheer and then hugged her in greeting, introducing her to Rhode and Mimi in Greek, much to Ginny's surprise.
Ginny had had time to learn a few key words and managed to say them, eliciting big smiles from her hostesses. Breena's two sisters and their two children were also greeted warmly by Malu, whom they knew as Breena's adopted mother-in-law. They were relieved to see Donald Mallard, Jimmy's mentor as they knew him fairly well, certainly better than they knew anyone else on the beach!
The sisters didn't know any of the Greek language and nodded with smiles, shaking hands and then looked relieved when Mimi, who was Tim McGee's, as they still thought of him, grandmother-in-law, spoke to them in perfect English. Rhode, having learned more English since she'd first met her stepdaughters, followed along fairly well. Still, she appreciated people learning a few words of the language before they arrived.
When Artemis saw Breena's mother and sisters arrive, she tugged at Tim's arm, "Come on, they won't know many people and they do know us!"
Ginny and the sisters smiled happily when the couple greeted them, glad to see more people they knew. Breena's niece and nephew, one and two years older than the twins, were given permission to play with them but to stay in sight and out of the water.
Tim was astonished to see Breena's mother and sisters there. All three worked in the family mortuary and he was amazed that Jimmy's nasty father-in-law, Ed Slater, let them go anywhere but work. When Artemis expressed her surprise to Ginny, she laughed. "I let our business manager know the three of us would be away for three weeks. Breena is already on leave, there are too many chemicals in the back where we work. I told Ed the morning we left. He was still sputtering when I left with my suitcase. It's about time my girls and I had more than a day or two off at a time and that I spend more time with Breena and Jimmy! I did send Ed a text that we'd arrived safely and had a reply, thanking me for letting him know and for the dinners I left in the freezer for him. I'm not worried, I own as much of the business as he does!"
Tim grinned. Then his grin grew wider as his three pregnant sisters-in-law walked into view. As they approached the beach, they stopped to look at the banners and streamers decorating the beach with posters of babies taped securely to the legs of the beach umbrellas. Looking at each other, they turned and grinned, calling out, "Thank you!"
Then Breena slapped her hand over her mouth in shock and surprise and Jimmy, coming up behind her, put his hands on her back to support her. Finally beginning to accept what she was seeing, Breena moved her hand, calling out, "Mom? MOM? Alyssa, Colleen, Marta, Kenny? Oh my gosh, you're really here?"
Jimmy moved from behind her so he could see and grinned, "Wow, this is great!"
They laughed, calling out, "Surprise!" When Ginny added, "It's just the 5 of us." Jimmy mouthed 'thank you' to his mother-in-law.
When everyone was on the beach, they officially started the party. With all of them sitting in the shade under the umbrellas, gifts were opened, exclaimed over, many items held up so everyone could see and the gift giver thanked while Tim, Dad and Cousin Richard kept lists of who got what from whom and various people took photos. Tim's in-laws, Peter and Rhode, recorded the whole party so those who couldn't be there could see, and for posterity. Each of the three women would have a copy.
Once the gifts were opened, it was time for the cake, freshly baked by Mimi in Rhode's kitchen.
After a wonderful day full of happy surprises, the crowd began to thin out after helping to clean up. The twins were a little wound up and had missed their afternoon nap. Their parents needed the twins to have their afternoon nap, they were just as tired and also still a little wound up.