Chapter 28 - Goodbye, Friend

Gibbs glanced around the lobby and noticed that Tony was no where to be found. "Where's DiNozzo?" he barked at McGee.

Abby made a 'pffft' noise as she rolled her eyes. "He found some hott nurse to harass. I told him to be back here by 2pm. Or 1400, sir!" she mocked Gibbs. In turn he glared at her.

Trisha glanced around the waiting room only to find her friend missing. "Hey guys," she said to Abby and McGee, "where's Rochelle?"

"Actually, Tony isn't harassing a nurse… well not at the moment, he did that first. But Rochelle's dad came and Tony took them to get Chelle's bag from the truck. She said she'd be waiting for you out there," McGee said softly.

Gibbs placed his hand on Trisha's shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Hey," he said. Trisha looked up to him. "You want us to come with you?"

Trisha looked at the lobby floor and shook her head. "No, Gibbs. This is something I gotta do by myself." She shook loose of Gibbs' grip and headed for the hospital exit.

Gibbs let her walk out the doors before he started after her. The rest followed as Kate jogged to Gibbs' side and took a hold of his hand. Once outside, they paused on the sidewalk as Tony came and stood beside them.

When Kate glanced at him Tony simply said, "Thought I'd give the kid some privacy."

Gibbs gently put his arm around Kate. "I have no idea how she's doing this, you know," he whispered to her. When Kate looked at him quizzically, Gibbs continued on. "Rochelle's the closest thing that that kid's had to real family for the past three years. And she's just gotta up and say goodbye to her. And for what? Me? I don't get it, Kate," he said softly.

She smiled at him. "What's not to get? Trisha obviously cares for you very much. But more importantly," Kate said, "she trusts you. And I know you won't break that trust, Gibbs." She leaned into Gibbs as he tightened his grip around her and sighed.

The team stood together on the sidewalk in silence. They all watched Rochelle and Trisha joking around with each other.

Chelle's dad had climbed into his white Excursion after saying his goodbye. He was never one for emotions. Rochelle and Trisha now stood by the passenger's side door and looked everywhere but at each other. "Let's go, Chelle! Your brother has to be at his basketball game!" her dad called out to her.

Rochelle looked back to Trisha. "So, this is really it then, huh?"

Trisha nodded, "Yea." She paused a moment to collect her thoughts. "You know I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think Gibbs was the right person… I mean, I am doing the right thing, aren't I?" She stared back at Rochelle.

Chelle nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yea. Gibbs is a great guy, and he cares about you a ton. And look at those people, Trish." Both of them turned their heads to look at the group on the sidewalk. "Not only are you getting Gibbs, but you're getting an entire family! You can't pass that up. You might not get another chance. You gotta do it!"

Their eyes met again. "I know, I know," Trisha agreed. "I just…" she let out a deep breath. "I hate goodbyes; I never say the right thing," Trisha admitted. "We had some great times, Chelle."

Chelle smiled, "Remember that time at school when we snuck into the principle's office and filled his desk with confetti? And then when he opened it the stuff went flying everywhere?" She started laughing.

Trisha started giggling, too. "That was great! And remember that time we let all those bouncy balls loose in the hall? Kids were goin' crazy! God, we were bad!"

"Yea, but remember that time we saved that little boy's cat from the sewer?" Chelle asked.

"Yea, and you confused a rat with the cat!" Trisha sniffled as she tried to hold back her tears. "Well, you better get going. Don't wanna be late for your brother's game." She looked at Rochelle and noticed that she had tears in her eyes as well.

Chelle grabbed Trisha and hugged her tightly as she cried. "I'm gonna miss you. Promise you won't forget about me, ok?"

"I won't. I'll write and call and email whenever I can," Trisha said through her tears. She patted her best friend on the back, stepped aside, and opened the door to the truck.

Rochelle climbed into the truck and looked down at her friend. "Bye, Trisha. Give everybody a hug for me."

Trisha nodded, "I will. And especially McGee because I know you had a crush on him," she giggled. "Bye, Chelle," she whispered as she closed the truck door. She stepped back and watched as her best friend drove away. When Chelle's dad honked the horn twice, Trisha waved back in response. She took a deep breath and wiped her tears away before she felt two strong hands take her by the shoulders. She looked up to find Gibbs standing behind her.

He smiled and knelt down in front of her on one knee. "You gonna be ok, kiddo?" he asked as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. When she didn't respond, Gibbs pulled her into a hug.

Trisha buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss her a lot, Gibbs."

"I know. It'll be ok, shhhhh," he whispered as he rubbed his hand across her back. "You've got me now, ok?"

Trisha sighed and pulled back a little from Gibbs' embrace. She looked at him and smiled. Gibbs put a hand around her neck and kissed her forehead before standing up.

"Hey McGee, come here real quick," Trisha said. She made him get down on one knee before she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Trisha pulled back and kissed him on the cheek before letting him go.

McGee smiled sheepishly. "What was that for?"

"That was from Rochelle," Trisha giggled.

Tony started laughing as he climbed into the driver's seat. "Oooh, lookout Abby, you've got some competition! Looks like McGee has a new girlfriend!"

McGee rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Tony!"

"Get in the truck, Probie!" Tony yelled back.

Kate let Abby and McGee climb into the backseat before turning to Gibbs and shaking her head. "Some things never change," she said with a smile as she climbed in and closed the door.

Ducky got in the passenger's seat as Gibbs climbed into the seat next to Kate. Trisha climbed in after him and shut the door behind her. Gibbs wrapped an arm around both of them. Kate leaned her head against his shoulder and Trisha started playing with the hospital ID bracelet Gibbs still wore on his wrist.

"Hey Gibbs, can I ask you about something that's been bothering me for a while?"

Gibbs looked down at Trisha, "Yea, go ahead, shoot."

Trisha smiled. "How are you planning on getting that boat out of your basement?"

Laughter could be heard eminating from the black Suburban as the NCIS team, along with it's newest member, made their way home to Washington.

END

A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed this fic. I've already had a few suggestions on writing a sequel, and I have a few ideas. Would anyone be interested? Thanks to all for the reviews!