Chapter 5
Several hours later, as he dressed to meet Ziva, he called his father for a quick check in. When the Admiral answered, he sounded nearly as tired as he had the day before. When Tim inquired about his sleep the night before, the man snapped at him in his old manner. Tim, taken aback, had to fight the urge to resort to his old response to his demanding father, to shut down. Shaking his head at how easily he'd slipped back into the old pattern, he questioned his father again. With the few seconds of dead silence from his son, John realized what he'd done and quickly cleared the air. As much as he hated sharing personal information, John had begun to see that his son needed and deserved full disclosure about his condition. Sighing now, he told Tim of the changes in his energy and levels of pain. Before Tim could ask, John also revealed he'd left a message for his doctor the previous evening.
"Dad, I'll come over, I just need to make a call and then I'm on my way."
"No, son, that's not necessary right now. Wait until I hear back from the doctor, then I'll call you…" the Admiral hesitated, "Tim, do you have something planned for this morning? I don't want you to cancel it!"
"I'm having brunch with Ziva, Dad, but we can resche…"
Before he could finish his thought, his father interrupted him, "No no, Tim, you keep your date with Ziva; that sounds like fun." He paused, "Why is she not at work?"
"Got a case right after I got home, Dad, they broke it around 4 this morning. They don't have to report in til later this afternoon. "
"I see; did you work on the case as well, Timothy?"
Tim smirked at his father's new curiosity about his work.
"Yes sir. I had both laptops running for a few hours."
"I'm sure Gibbs will say this too, but well done, son, I'm proud of you!"
"Thanks Dad, but this is what I do. I'm not handling anything differently, just doing my job."
John shook his head as they ended their call with his promise to call his son if he needed anything. He stood in his kitchen, wondering what kind of jackass he'd been to miss what was in front of his face all these years. His son was all any father could hope to have and he'd treated him like dirt. And who did he need to thank for this man, the son he'd hurt more than helped? He knew his mother Penny had been a big influence, although he doubted she'd been terribly excited about his going into law enforcement. Sitting with his coffee, he sadly realized that apart from Penny, he had no idea who his son's mentors had been, although he did have an inkling that Gibbs played a bigger part in his kid's life than Tim had revealed. That gave him hope that Gibbs would step in when Tim needed him, after he was gone. He thought about calling the man and asking, but put it off for now. He hadn't yet contacted Penny and that should be his priority. First, however, he was going to enjoy his coffee.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Hanging up with the Admiral, Tim paused for a deep breath, trying to process the news that his father's condition might have worsened over the last few days. Rolling his shoulders to relieve some of this newest tension, he grabbed his keys and left to pick up Ziva. Quickly reaching her apartment, he knocked on her door, again rolling his shoulders, trying to let this go so they can have a relaxing and enjoyable meal together. It is not every day he gets to spend any time alone with Ziva and before the chat with his father he had really been looking forward to it.
Ziva being Ziva knew that something had changed as soon as she opened her door and saw Tim.
"What is wrong, Timothy? Has something happened to your father? You should have called me, we could have rescheduled!"
"No, Ziva, I mean yes, something's happened with the Admiral, but he doesn't think it's critical and there's no reason we can't enjoy ourselves. " He paused and Ziva waited, knowing the explanation was forthcoming.
"We spent a few days down at the shore and he was doing fine, well, for his condition. But he's still exhausted after 12 hours sleep and his pain level has increased. He's waiting for his doctor to call him back. If he needs anything, he promised he'll call me."
"If you are sure, Timothy." Tim blinked at that, he could not remember Ziva ever calling him by his whole first name and that was the second time this morning. Ducky was the only one who did that. In fact Ziva usually called him McGee, rarely Tim much less Timothy.
"I am, Ziva, thank you. Are you ready, because I'm hungry!" Settling into the Porsche, he started them on their way, asking, "I noticed you called me Timothy, Ziva, is there a reason for that? Not that I'm complaining!" He finished with a smile towards her.
"It just felt right. I know I usually call you McGee and I would like to change that, at least outside of work. Saying Timothy feels more complete somehow." She smiled back at him and Tim felt a happy little zing, wondering if this brunch, the name change and the comment about 'outside of work' was her way of saying she wanted more than friendship. He had been attracted to her for years but had always believed her to be "off limits", between Rule 12 and well, other considerations. After a short drive, they reached the small restaurant Ziva had suggested, parked, entered the building and found a cozy booth in a quiet nook. They ordered coffee and tea, picking up their menus, which had some items that puzzled Ziva.
"I do not understand what this is, Timothy. What is "chicken fried" steak? How can a steak be a chicken?"
Tim tried not to laugh as he explained that it was indeed beefsteak but was prepared in somewhat the same way as fried chicken.
"The other thing I don't understand is Canadian bacon. Why is it not just called Canadian ham? It seems to bear little resemblance to bacon."
Tim did laugh this time, "Ziva, I've never understood that myself. I guess it's just a tradition that has persisted through the years. I do know that the term "Canadian Bacon" can refer to two products: back bacon and smoked ham. How and why, ya got me!"
She smiled back at him, happy with his laugh and more relaxed tone. They chatted a little more about obtuse traditions in both the US and Israel, until the server gently interrupted to take their order. While they waited for their food, the focus shifted from tradition to Tim's time with his father at the cottage.
"It was amazing, Ziva, he told me so much about my grandparents and great grandparents and his own time as a child at the cottage. We walked to the pond where he fished with his father and grandfather; I found a chessboard and pieces that were carved by my great grandfather – has his initials on the back of the board. And the quilt, he had all kinds of stories about the quilt his grandmother made just for the cottage. So many stories – I wrote them all down. "
"And what are you going to do with them now that they're written down, Timothy?" Ziva asked, her eyes sparkling.
"My next books are going to be for children, Ziva. You know," Tim suddenly blushed, "someday I hope to have my own kids and I want them to know that part of their heritage. In the meantime, I hope other kids will enjoy knowing these stories, how children are really fundamentally the same no matter where or in what year they're born."
Ziva's reply was interrupted by the arrival of their server with food and they eagerly tucked in to their delicious smelling meals. As Tim finished his meal, he leaned back and watched Ziva eat.
"Do you have any stories from your childhood, Ziva? From your family? I'd love to give my books a more global feel, to let kids know how children in other countries view things."
"That is a wonderful idea, Mc…Timothy! Yes, I do have a few stories and I can ask my Aunt Nettie for more, I know she is the keeper of the David family lore. I may be able to find some from my mother's family as well. And perhaps others will have stories to contribute?"
"Yeah, that's a great idea; maybe I'll give Jack…" Tim's thought was interrupted by the tones of 'Anchors Aweigh'. "That's my dad." Ziva gave him a nod indicating to go ahead with the call.
"Hi Dad. Did you hear from the doctor?" Tim paused and listened, "Yes, we've had a great time and we're just finishing eating. What did the doc…" He stopped as his father replied, "He's scheduled me for a new MRI and blood tests tomorrow, Tim; in the meantime, he's upped my prescription."
"Ok, I'll go pick that u…"
"No need, son. The doctor arranged for a delivery from the pharmacy. They said it would be here in an hour or so."
Tim looked at Ziva and hooked his eyebrow; she gave a quick nod.
"Ziva and I will swing by, Dad, while you're waiting for the delivery. I was telling her about the Cottage quilt; she'd love to see it."
Tim pulled the phone away as his father snorted in his ear. "I'm sure, son, all right, just come check on your old man and bring your girl…" Tim interrupted, "Dad!"
"All right, Timothy, no need to burst a blood vessel, I'll behave myself." John chuckled as he hung up. He remembered Agent David and if she was interested in his son he would be quite happy. He chuckled again, he was sure his son would be even happier. Now that he was no longer running the Navy, and he snorted to himself at his sense of self-importance, his mind was turning to other things, one of those being the future of his family. While he waited for his son and new girl…no teammate, he had promised to behave, he started writing his latest "to do" list.
He really needed to speak with his mother and daughter; they'd left on their prolonged vacation before the case that had brought his son back to him, or rather him back to his son, and knew nothing of his illness. He'd told Tim he intended to contact them when they returned from the cottage and he'd put it off. With the worsening of his condition, he now had a sense that telling them sooner rather than later would be a good idea.
After Timothy's visit he'd figure out where Penny and Sarah were in their itinerary and call them. He was dreading the call but as a Naval Officer, retired Naval Officer he reminded himself, he had to do difficult things all the time. He would just pull out his brass…no, that wouldn't work, never had with his mother. He put it on a mental back burner as he spied the Porsche powering up the driveway. Opening it, he waited until the car was parked with Tim opening the car door for Ziva and called out, "Think you should hide the Porsche, son, the pharmacy guy might decide to trade in whatever he's driving!"
Tim smirked at his father as he and Ziva met him at the front door. "Dad, you remember Ziva David, my teammate."
Ziva quickly interjected, "Teammate and friend, Timothy! It is good to see you again, Admiral."
"And you, Ms David. I'm glad you were available to come along with Tim; I understand you're interested in my grandmother's quilt?"
"It is Ziva, please. And yes, Timothy has told me of the quilt and some of the stories you shared with him. As a fairly new American citizen, I am quite interested in the culture and history, things outside of the history books."
John gave a chuckle and a nod. "Well said, young lady!" He walked them into the house and disappeared upstairs to fetch the quilt. When he returned, the three of them sat while he told her another story he had remembered about the quilt. Unbeknownst to either of them, both Tim and Ziva found themselves daydreaming of a future with the quilt shared between them. John, seeing the faraway look in both sets of eyes, smiled to himself and continued his story.
