Tony had been dreading this day for two and a half years now. His baby girl was starting her first day of kindergarten. Real school was the beginning of the end. After this it was elementary, and then middle, then high school, and finally she would leave for college. She had grown so much already in the two and a half years he had known her. She was no longer a chubby toddler with crazy brown hair. She was a little girl with wavy brown hair just like her fathers and her dad's smile. Tony found himself unable to sleep the night before his daughter's first day of school. He was relieved that director Vance had given him and Ziva the day off. Being Agent in Charge gave him less time off than when he was a Senior Field Agent. Gibbs had been retired ever since he took in Amira. Now that he had three grandchildren as well. Sadie and Jackson and John Michael the son of McGee and Delilah. He was a full time baby sitter. When Ziva came back after Jackson was born Vance assigned her to a different team. She was the Senior Field Agent to Agent Kaplain and Tony was heading up the new MCRT. McGee had taken a job as the regional assistant director after Delilah gave birth. Tony's new team consisted of Senior Field Agent Jay Dyer, and Junior Agents Natalie Kingsford, and Terry Gretchen.
"You did not sleep last night." Ziva commented.
"How could I? Sadie is starting school." Tony replied.
"She has been in pre-school for two years." Ziva reminded.
"That was four hours a day three days a week. Kindergarten is six hours five days a week." Tony explained.
"She has to grow-up eventually." Ziva commented.
"I know but I am not ready." Tony replied.
"Neither am I." Ziva admitted.
"It's happening so fast. It is going to be so lonely." Tony said.
"We will still have Jack." Ziva reminded.
"I know and I love him but it's different." Tony sighed.
"At least he is alive." Ziva reminded.
"I know but I wish he could be OK. I know it's not like Delilah. He has never known different but he can't play. He can just watch Sadie, Emma, Johnny, and Tyler." Tony explained.
"He is happy though." Ziva assured.
Tony's discussion with Ziva had left him with a new ache in his heart. He wondered if Jack would be able to start kindergarten with Johnny McGee and Abby's adoptive son Tyler. When he was younger and he imagined having children. He would always picture a tall strong boy who he could pass his athletic skills on to. He imagined coaching peewee football or soccer and little league and shooting hoops after work. When Jack was born all that had changed. Seeing his son so sick and small all he wanted was a living son. Jack was seven months old when Ziva and him heard the words cerebral palsy and severe case. At three years old eighteen month old clothes were falling off of Jack and he weighed twenty pounds. Doctors doubted he would grow past the size of a ten year old. He was a quadriplegic completely unable to use his arms or legs and totally blind but he was alive. Nobody could tell Tony or Ziva for sure if he would live to adulthood but they had him for two years so far and every day was precious. The morning his sister started kindergarten Jack was still asleep. Tony lifted him out of his crib and lay him on the changing table. Sadie wasn't much older than him when she was potty trained and he never would be. He was lowering Jack back into his crib when Sadie came bounding into the room. She was dressed in a pair of red jeans and her James Madison Elementary t-shirt. Ziva had done her hair into braided pony tails.
"Do you need help with Jack, daddy?" Sadie asked excitedly.
"No he is sleeping." Jack replied.
"Will he be up when I go to school?" Sadie asked.
"Maybe but he had a rough couple days." Tony explained.
"I wish he could go to St. Andrew's like I did." Sadie replied referring to the Catholic pre-school she had attended.
"I do too but if he is doing well enough he is going to start at Charles Academy next year and he can go there until he is grown-up." Tony explained.
"How much longer til we leave?" Sadie asked changing the subject.
"Have you eaten?" Tony asked.
"Yes" Sadie replied.
"Are your teeth brushed?" Tony asked.
"Yes" Sadie assured.
"OK good because we need to get going." Tony replied.
Tony picked Jack back out of his crib, changed him into day clothes, and set him up in his wheelchair. While he was fastening Jack into the chair. Sadie ran over to the drawer and retrieved the special protective sun-glasses that Jack wore. Tony was amazed at how quickly Sadie got the glasses on her brother's face. She had been helping Jack since the day he came home from the hospital at four months old. He had suffered seizures and a stroke and developed pneumonia all in the first month of life. It broke Tony's heart because he had been recovering so well when the seizures started. One day they were talking about him being home by the end of the week. That was the first time Sadie saw him but that night he had the first seizure. He had a massive stroke two days later and ended up completely disabled. It had been hard to explain to Sadie what had happened to her brother and why he had to go back with the really sick babies and she couldn't see him anymore. She had only been three at the time and she learned how to take care of her brother and knew what a seizure looked like. So if she ever saw one she could alert Tony and Ziva right away. Tony felt sorry for his daughter. Ziva and him tried to ensure she got plenty of attention but Jack required so much extra care and it was unknown when a birthday party would have to be canceled due to Jack having a seizure or a special day would be cut short because Jack had been taken away in an ambulance.
Tony wheeled Jack out of the room Gibbs had built downstairs when they learned Jack would never walk. Gibbs and Amira were waiting in the living room with Ziva. Amira was nine now and becoming a young woman. Gibbs said he saw a lot of Mike in her. She had slowly learned to accept her mom's death and while she still mourned for Leyla. She had learned to trust Gibbs again and allowed him to be her guardian.
"Amira! Are you ready for the fourth grade?" Tony asked.
"Very much I heard Mr. Ross is so cute." Amira replied twirling her hair.
"Oh no! You are not allowed to think boy are cute until I am dead or you are forty." Gibbs warned.
"And Gibbs will live forever." Tony whispered.
"Well fourth grade is when we learn DC history and get to go to the White House." Amira replied.
"Like where the president lives?" Sadie asked.
"Uh huh I can't be president cause I was born in Afghanistan but I can be a senator or congressmen or something." Amira explained.
"I can be President!" Sadie cried.
"Presidents have to keep their rooms clean." Tony replied.
*knock* *knock*
"That must be Jimmy and Emma." Tony said going to answer the door.
Tony walked over and answered the door. While Sadie picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. Amira climbed off the couch and grabbed her backpack, Gibbs took his coffee and followed Tony and the kids to the door. Ziva grabbed her keys and pushed Jack's wheelchair to the rest of the group. Emma and Sadie were already skipping to the van their pig tails dancing behind them. Emma was a couple inches shorten than Sadie with lighter hair and brown eyes. Gibbs and Jimmy got the kids loaded into the van while Ziva put Jack in his special area. The van sat six people along with Jack. It was big but it had been given to the Gibbs family by Abby's church. So they couldn't complain. Plus it allowed all the kids to carpool together. Jimmy snagged the keys and climbed into the driver's seat and Ziva reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat. Tony rode in back with Emma and Sadie. Gibbs was driving Amira in his truck but had come over to see Sadie off to kindergarten. Jimmy who had taken over Ed Slater's business. Would be driving the kids to school most mornings and had been practicing driving the van all summer. Gibbs cared for Jack in the afternoon's but he attended Hope daycare in the mornings to get used to being around other children. Hope was for children with severe illnesses and physical disabilities and had nurses on hand at all times. It was actually a part of the school Jack would attend next year if he was ready. After dropping Jack off they headed to the girl's school. Tony and Ziva and Jimmy took several pictures of both girls outside the van and then on the steps of the school. Emma was in Miss. Jones's class and Sadie was in Mrs. Leo's class. They had wanted both girls in the same class but they went by last name and Palmer was too far from Gibbs. after a tearful goodbye outside of Mrs. Jones's classroom. Tony and Ziva walked Sadie next-door to Mrs. Leo's room. Tony took a final picture of his daughter and quickly lowered his phone.
"What's wrong baby girl?" Tony asked.
"I'm not gonna have any friends!" Sadie sobbed.
"Oh maybe we should get her into Mrs. Jones's class. We could use my mom's name Paddington and it would be perfectly legal." Tony suggested.
"No she has to learn to make new friends." Ziva replied.
"What if I can't?" Sadie asked.
"You won't know unless you try." Ziva reminded.
Once Sadie was inside her classroom her anxiety was gone. She made a beeline for the stack of books in the corner. A girl with long black hair ran up and sat down beside her. Before anybody knew it the girls were reading a giant copy of Clifford the Big Red Dog. Ziva stood beside the door watching her daughter come out of her shell. Tony turned out of the room and stood outside wiping tears from his eyes. He was not ready for this. After a while Ziva left the room and guided a still crying Tony out of the school. At three o'clock they loaded into the van and drove to pick up Sadie from school. The class was waiting outside. Once Tony and Ziva were on the grass Sadie ran towards them. Mrs. Leo said something to Mrs. Jones and followed her.
"Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs may I speak to you real quick. Privately?" Mrs. Leo asked.
"Of course" Ziva replied.
Tony was nervous to say the least. In his experience anyway it was rarely a good thing when a teacher asked to speak to parents. Whenever it happened to him. It ended with Senior beating him and when she was alive Elizabeth telling him how disappointed she was. The couple walked to Mrs. Leo's classroom and sat down in front of her desk. While Sadie sat quietly on the bench.
"What do you need to talk about?" Tony asked.
"There is a student this class Landon Cooper." Mrs. Leo started.
"Look I am sorry if she picked on him. I have given some of my friend's nicknames and sometimes tease them and it is possible that she picked up on that. Even though I do try to keep it away from Sadie." Tony explained.
"Oh no it's nothing like that. You see Landon rolled off his changing table as a baby and is now paralyzed from the waist down. While most of the kids either picked on him or avoided him. Sadie warmed right up to him and invited him to join her and Ivy for free play. Ivy was uneasy at first but Sadie reassured her. At first I thought she was just accepting but I noticed how she knew exactly when Landon needed help and when he could do on his own. When I asked how she knew how to help a disabled person she explained that her brother had Cerebral Palsy but was a quadriplegic and her aunt was in a wheelchair and she helped her out sometimes." Mrs. Leo explained.
"Sadie always helps with Jack. He is with his grandfather right now. So we could take Sadie out for ice-cream." Tony replied.
"Well I can tell she will be a joy to have in class and you two are amazing parents." Mrs. Leo replied.
A/N: What do you think? This is the new format for the final chapters. They will all be key moments in Sadie's childhood. With the final chapter showing her as an adult. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.