Chapter 25 - On the Road Again

"Boss, I've gotten all the necessary paperwork waiting for us at headquarters. I'm also supposed to tell you that the Director has taken care of notifying Trisha's current… well, technically ex-foster father. Everything's good to go," McGee reported. He stood there with a smile on his face as if waiting for Gibbs to throw him a treat for a job well done.

Gibbs thought about giving him a sarcastic comment, but ultimately decided against it. "That's a good job, McGee," he said instead. "Now go help Trisha and DiNozzo get the rest of her stuff into the truck."

McGee nodded, "On it, Boss." He turned and briskly walked out the front door, quietly shutting it behind him.

Letting his head fall against the back of the couch, Gibbs sighed deeply. His ribs ached and he was drained from his little episode only half an hour earlier. He un-tucked his shirts from his pants and pulled them up to look down at his ribs. Instead of the normal skin color, the area from the bottom of his breast bone to the top of his pants was one giant deep-purple bruise. He grunted as he lifted his legs onto the couch and laid down. Gibbs felt a draft of cold air and looked towards the door; whoever went outside last had left the door cracked. He could hear Tony and McGee fighting with each other as they packed the car:

"Quit throwing snow at me, Tony!"

"Fight back and stop acting like a sissy, Probie!"

"What the hell, Tony? That wasn't even snow! You hit me with a ball of ice!"

Gibbs smiled as he pictured Tony and McGee throwing snow at each other. Deep down, both of them were really just two overgrown kids. He made a mental note to kick both their asses later; after he could standup without evoking pain in his body. Gibbs heard light footsteps on the porch followed by the door closing. He sensed someone standing in his personal space and opened his eyes to find Kate kneeling next to him.

She was looking at the bruises on his body. "Oh Gibbs," Kate whispered. Her bottom lip trembled as she continued to look at the contusions. Her gaze wandered to Gibbs' face as she searched his icy blue eyes. "Why didn't you tell me how bad you were hurt?" She lovingly stroked his cheek as her other hand found his. Kate then entwined her fingers with his and held on tightly as she waited for his response.

"Because I didn't want you to be scared," Gibbs told Kate. "It's not as bad as it looks," he said as he pulled his shirts back down. "I'll be fine, I'm just gonna need a little time to heal, ok?" Gibbs reached for Kate to bring her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her and began to caress her back. "You know," Gibbs whispered, "the only thing that kept me going when I was out there was… thinking of you, Katie."

Kate's head shot up after Gibbs' last comment. She searched his face with her brown tear-filled eyes before she bent down to meet his lips to share a passionate kiss. She began running her hand through his hair as Gibbs pulled her head closer. They broke apart when their lungs screamed for air. Gibbs gently kissed Kate's forehead before she let her head fall back to his shoulder.

"Katie," Gibbs whispered. "I think we have an audience," he said with a smile as Kate picked her head up. Trisha stood at the end of a couch with a humble smile on her face.

"Sorry," Kate apologized sheepishly.

Trisha rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, my name's not Rochelle, you know. I'm not gonna get grossed out by you two kissing. I think it's cute. My mom and dad used to be the same way," she told them as she got a far away look in her eyes. Trisha shook her head, "Anyway, we're ready to leave. We're gonna meet Rochelle's dad at the hospital when we stop for you to get checked out," Trisha declared as she pointed at Gibbs.

Gibbs sat up slowly with Kate's help. He got an annoyed look on his face before he turned to Trisha. "Why can't we just stop at a hospital when we get back to DC?"

"Because I said so, Jethro," Ducky stated as he walked through the front door. "Come then, young Anthony has the Suburban warmed up." He turned around and headed for the car.

Gibbs and Kate walked past Trisha and towards the front door. Gibbs stopped and turned abruptly to see the little girl looking around the living room. "Hey," he said. Trisha turned to him. "You still wanna do this?"

A giant smile crossed her face, "You bet, Agent Gibbs." She walked to him and took his outstretched hand.

Gibbs smiled down at her before reaching for Kate and taking her hand as well. Together they walked through the front door and to the Suburban. Trisha climbed into the very back with Rochelle and McGee. Kate, Gibbs, and Abby sat in the middle row. Ducky was in the passenger seat reading the directions to the hospital to Tony, who was driving.

After they were on the road for a few minutes, Tony glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed that Gibbs and Kate were holding hands. Gibbs looked very uncomfortable; like he was in pain. Every time the truck went over a bump he would grimace. Tony put his eyes back on the road and tried to avoid the potholes, but they were currently traveling on a very uneven and unpaved road. An idea popped into Tony's head. "Hey Trish, you know those head rubs that Gibbs was telling us about?"

"Yea, what about them?" Trisha asked from the backseat. She looked in the rearview mirror to see Tony's reflection.

As the truck went over a large bump, Gibbs drew in a sharp breath. "I think someone could use one right about now," Tony told her as he nodded his head in Gibbs' direction.

Trisha nodded and switched seats with Rochelle. She was now in the middle of the backseat and directly behind Gibbs. She moved to the edge of the seat and leaned forward. Abby had taken Gibbs' other hand and was holding it tightly.

"Hey big guy," Trisha whispered as she began to run her hand through Gibbs' hair. "How ya doin up there, hmmm?" She continued running her hands gently through his hair.

Tony slowed the truck down, "Ummm, big bump coming up, hang on Gibbs." Abby and Kate felt Gibbs' grip on their hands tighten as he gritted his teeth and braced himself. Gibbs let out a small cry as the truck was jolted up and down.

"And that is exactly why we're not waiting until we get back to Washington to go to a hospital, Jethro," Ducky said matter-of-factly.

Because of the way the truck was made, the back seat was higher up than the middle seat, which allowed Gibbs to lean his head back and rest it on Trisha's shoulder. She leaned her head against his and kept rubbing his head with one hand. Trisha let her other hand move to Gibbs' chest and began to draw circles with her fingers. As she began to do so, Gibbs let out a content sigh.

"Hey Boss, we're only about 15 minutes away, alright?" No answer. "Boss?" Tony asked again.

Abby glanced at Gibbs and Trisha before meeting eyes with Kate and smiling. "He's asleep, Tony," Abby told him.

Tony glanced into the mirror to look at Gibbs, who was indeed sleeping. He watched in amazement as Trisha continued to stroke Gibbs' head and chest. Trisha looked into the mirror and met Tony's eyes. She grinned at him and he smiled back. 'Gibbs was right,' Tony thought to himself, 'that kid is different.'

"It's the next right, Anthony," Ducky said as he read the directions in his hand.

"Gotcha Ducky," Tony replied as he pulled into the hospital parking lot and guided the truck towards the front doors.