My Two Dads
Summary: Tim's father meets Gibbs. Warning: discussion of spanking of adults. Don't like? Don't read!
Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with them.
A/N: We know from 'Hide and Seek' that Tim's dad was in the Navy; I've taken the liberty of giving him a name and a rank.
Thanks to draggon-flye for suggesting the title... and yes, we know we are dating ourselves with the reference!
Warning: this story contains conversation about the spanking of adults. If you have a problem with that, click on that 'back' button now. You've been warned.
Tim swam hazily towards consciousness. His mind felt fuzzy and his head ached slightly. And there was a searing pain in his right arm, about midway between his shoulder and his elbow. He tried to sit up and failed, and tried again, feeling a sudden rush of panic.
'It's ok, Tim. You're safe. You're gonna be fine. Just relax...'
His boss's soothing words calmed him enough that he just lay back, and settled for reaching for his arm, as if the touch of his own hand could make the pain disappear. His eyes fluttered a few times before finally staying open, eventually focusing on the man who was seated next to him, a concerned look on his face.
A quick scan of the room quickly revealed that he was in a hospital.
It came back to him in a flood of memory. The tip about the drug-smuggling petty officers. The raid on the warehouse. The bullets flying.
'I... I was shot!' Tim whispered, frantically trying to raise his head enough to see his arm.
'It was just a graze. You're fine. Probably won't even have much of a scar.'
Tim relaxed, but only for a moment before his eyes widened again. If it really was just a graze, he would have been released already.
'But... Boss... if it was just a graze, I wouldn't... why am I still...'
'You had an allergic reaction to one of the meds they gave you. Gave us quite a scare. But you're fine now. They just want to keep you here a bit longer to make sure.'
It felt like it took his brain a long time to process the information.
'But, I don't have any drug allergies...'
'Well, Tim, apparently you do.'
Following the conversation was just too much work, and he sank back against the pillow.
'Just get some rest, Tim. There's nothing to worry about.'
He gave in to sleep, dimly aware of a gentle hand brushing his hair from his face and lightly squeezing his good shoulder.
X X X
The next time he woke up, it took Tim only a moment to remember where he was and what had happened. It took a bit longer for him to figure out what had woken him. Then he heard a familiar voice. And then another.
His eyes snapped open to see his boss and his father standing at the foot of his bed.
They were speaking softly, clearly trying not to wake him, obviously unaware that he was already awake.
'My wife is visiting her sister, in Seattle. When you called, you said he was alright, so I convinced her not to fly home. She made me promise to call, though, as soon as I saw him.'
'He's going to be fine, Commander. He had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic they gave him – it could have been bad, but they caught it quickly. He was awake for a few minutes about an hour ago; he's just sleeping, now.'
They both glanced towards him, and noticed his eyes fluttering slightly as he sleepily tried to keep them open.
'Or maybe he's not,' Gibbs commented, a small grin tugging at his lips.
'Dad? You didn't have to drive down here...'
'Yeah? Would you like to explain that to your mother?'
Tim winced.
'I didn't think so. How are you feeling?' his father asked, moving to stand beside him, touching his forehead with a parent's instinct to check for a fever regardless of any more 'scientific' gauge of his condition.
'Tired. A bit sore. But I'm ok.'
'You know, all my years in the Navy, I was never wounded. But my son the civilian manages to get himself shot.'
Tim managed a weak smile.
'I'll leave you two alone. I'll stop by in the morning, Tim.'
Before Gibbs could reach the door, however, Cmdr. McGee called his name and moved around Tim's bed towards him.
'I've been wanting to speak to you in person for a while now. I know you're Tim's immediate supervisor, and I suspect that you don't give your superiors much of a say in how you manage your team.'
Gibbs nodded, acknowledging his role.
'So, am I right in thinking that you've spanked my son?'
Tim's mouth fell open in stunned surprised. He'd definitely not told his father about that aspect of his relationship with his boss, and he had no idea how he knew about it. He felt his face turning red, and his stomach churning.
Gibbs looked equally surprised, turning briefly towards him with a raised eyebrow before looking back at the commander. He nodded again, seeming simultaneously sheepish and defensive, obviously unsure whether the man in front of him was going to throw a punch or merely light into him verbally for overstepping his bounds as Tim's boss.
'Tim told you that I...?'
'No,' the elder McGee replied with a half-laugh. 'But I've spent enough time around old-school Gunnies to have a pretty good idea what it meant that he couldn't sit through dinner without squirming.'
Tim groaned, remembering the disastrous April Fools' Day. After a prank gone very wrong, Gibbs had dragged him, Tony, and Abby back to his house and spanked them all with a wooden spoon. His butt had still been sore at the end of the day, but he hadn't wanted to cancel his plans to meet his sister and his father for dinner, and he had thought he'd be able to hide his discomfort. Apparently, he'd over-estimated his own capacity for concealing pain.
Gibbs smirked slightly, acknowledging the commander's implication that he approached his leadership responsibilities as if he were still in the Corps.
'I know Tim isn't a Marine, but...'
'Hell, Gibbs, sometimes I think the job he chose for himself is more dangerous than if he'd followed in my footsteps. And I know I sleep better knowing that he's got a CO who gives a damn when he screws up. I don't mind seeing him with a sore ass, if it keeps him alive.'
Tim gaped at his father.
'But... you never really spanked me when I was a kid... how...'
'I never needed to, Tim. You weren't that kind of child. Doesn't mean I have a problem with it, if you need it now.'
Tim could feel his face flushing more vehemently red as he opened and closed his mouth wordlessly.
'Thank you for taking such good care of my boy,' he told Gibbs seriously, his hand extended.
Gibbs shook it firmly.
'You're welcome, Commander.'
'Matthew.'
'Jethro.'
Tim closed his eyes and let his head fall back on his pillow, the image of the two men's clasped hands burned into his brain.