A/N: Sadly I own nothing pertaining to NCIS or its' characters.
Old Nemesis, New Respect
Chapter 8: The Origins of Kyle
The elevator dinged and the three agents stepped into the bullpen. Vance was waiting on the mezzanine as they entered.
"Gentlemen, MTAC, now."
Tony dropped his bag and headed for the stairs.
"Not you DiNozzo."
The three of them glanced at each other as Tony started to slowly back down the stairs.
"Anything to do with the Kispert case Leon?"
"Yes…and…no."
Gibbs gave a nod to DiNozzo, effectively overriding the director and waved him on.
"Part of my team Leon," was the only excuse he gave.
Gibbs entered MTAC first, followed by McGee who noticed the big screen first.
"Eric."
"Hey Tim, Agent Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo I presume."
"To what do we owe this visit, Me. Beale?"
"He did me a favor." Abby was on the smaller screen streaming from her lab.
"People." One word was all Vance had needed for the MTAC support to stand and vacate the room.
"Abbs, does this have to do with Neil Kispert?"
"Kyle Kispert actually."
"Go," ordered Gibbs.
Eric and Abby started to talk at the same time.
"Ladies first," insisted Eric.
"Okay. Sixteen year old girl, no name, walks into St. Francis on Christmas day '95. Complains of stomach pains and wants medicine."
"Let me guess." Throwing air quotes out, "Didn't know she was pregnant."
"You got it Tony and in early stages of labor. Her chronic drug use had sent her into labor prematurely."
"How early was the delivery?" Gibbs asked.
"Upon examination and the measurements taken they estimated the baby at thirty weeks. She refused treatment, so the DSS had to step in as legal guardians of the minor and sign off on medical care."
"When they told the girl that she had a baby boy her only response was and I quote, "I'm sorry Timmy."
DiNozzo rolled his eyes and head at McGee, "Oh really?" . One look from Gibbs was all it took for Tony to know not to go there.
"Timmy. That's the name they gave the baby, three days later when the mother…"
"Oh, oh, oh I know this story! Mommie dearest just gets up and walks out never to be heard from again."
"Lifetime movie Tony?"
"No McGoo. Seriously. I was new to the Peoria Police Force. St. Francis had this nurse, Valerie, mm...mmm, she could get the Popes' heart to pumping. She had these…" Tony brought his cupped hands to his chest.
"DiNozzo!"
"Sorry Boss. The only way I could get a date with Nurse Valerie was to volunteer time in the NICU nursery."
"Right Tony, you rocking babies."
"Hey, donated three weeks of my free time, thank you very much. Think I connected more with little Timmy than Nurse Valerie."
Gibbs insisted on getting back on task. "What happened to Baby Timmy?"
"That would be my cue." Dr. Mallard appeared over Abbys' shoulder.
"Young Timothy was born with two strikes against him. He was born suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome."
"Drug addiction?"
"Quite right, Jethro. Tremors, trouble feeding, problems going from sleep to awake, all symptoms of NAS."
"But, they have treatment for that though, right?"
"That would be strike one Mr. McGee. They had to handle his care a little more slowly."
"Why?" The question was on every one of their minds.
"The usual path to take for NAS is morphine or methadone. With the little fella being born premature…"
"Strike two Ducky?"
"I'm afraid so. His underdeveloped lungs needed the oxygen more Tony. They had to key down the amount of morphine intake."
"What about his blindness?" McGee wanted to know," Aren't most preemies born blind, like Kyle?"
"No. Mild cases of Retinopathy tend to heal themselves. Again drug therapy prevented taking further precautions to avoid Timothys' blindness."
Gibbs acknowledged the big screen on the wall. "What do you have to add to this conversation Mr. Beale?"
"I asked for his help on the west coast Gibbs. I mean McGee was in California when kyle was born, right? But where was Kyles' mother nine months earlier?"
"Six and a half, Abby."
"Huh, what?"
Eric continued, "Months. Kyle was born December 25th, 1995. Approximately ten weeks early."
"You're right Eric. So inception wasn't March or April. At the very least it was towards the end of May."
Everyone looked at McGee for any recollection in the time line.
"Well McGee?" questioned Gibbs.
"Well um let's see, end of May '95? That was um, when I was sixteen and oh, oh, oh May 19th '95. That's when I wrecked my '84 Camaro Z28."
"Anybody special kiss your boo-boo and make it all better?"
"I've told you before Tony, that day is still a blank to me and it's almost been seventeen years ago."
MTAC suddenly became very still, until Eric broke the silence.
"You may have forgotten Tim, but a few of the people we've talked to… They've spun a web of deception you wouldn't or couldn't believe."
"What? Boss I have no idea what…"
Vance took the lead, "Mr. Beale, talk, now."
"Ok. Two factors we know contributed to your accident Tim were rain and speed."
"But I was a careful driver. Kids use to tell me I didn't deserve a fast car because I drove it like a little old lady."
"That's what they said alright. So I looked into what could have happened to cause you to speed. There was a third factor that came to light during the interviews."
"Eric, I would never…"
"Here me out. Do the names Walter Murphy and Jake Bryson ring a bell?"
"Yeah Murph and Jake were on the wrestling team with me."
"How about Erica Nelson?"
"She was a sophomore my senior year. Quiet, shy, pretty, very much a bully magnet like…like me. Rumor was family time at her house was doing drugs with dear old mom and dad."
"Well the story that went around was you were invited to one of the guys house to go over strategy for an upcoming meet."
"Semi-states. Wound up sitting on the sidelines in a leg cast because of my accident."
"According to a couple of people, your teammates, Murph and Jake, invited you over so they can surprise you with a party for being accepted to MIT."
"Couldn't confirm that fact if I wanted to Eric."
"Supposedly there were party crashers, Erica being one of them. Thought you could use a bit of loosening up and dropped Ketamine in your drink."
"No way, there would've been some evidence left behind."
"I'd normally agree with you Timothy. The injuries you sustained in the accident may have covered any signs of an assault. What about a drug test Mr. Beale?"
"Tim had just completed a drug test to compete at the state level the day before, Dr. Mallard."
"Ah, so they'd forgone the test, stupidity at its best then."
"Yes sir."
"But Erica! Boss she was a friend, she would not have done it, unless…"
They all waited for Eric to fill in the blanks.
It was Tony who suggested, "She was forced to."
"Not exactly. Erica was coming down off a high and was promised more if she'd "pose for pictures" with you on the bed. Of course one thing led to another and so on and so on."
"Other party goers walked in on the scene. According to witnesses you just took off."
"And presto change-o, McDaddy!"
"Not funny Tony!"
"Agreed. It was a sexual assault, plain and simple. Sorry to be so blunt, Timothy."
McGee took a seat and placed his head in his hands only to lift it a few seconds later and taking a deep breath.
"How did Erica end up in Ohio?"
"When she told her parents of her pregnancy she wouldn't give them the fathers' name. Apparently, that's when dear old dad gave her two ultimatums. Abort or get out. So her mother sent her to live with an aunt."
Gibbs asked the next question, "Where are the parents now Mr. Beale?"
"Mr. Nelson has a permanent residence at Centinela because he killed Mrs. Nelson."
"And Erica, where is she?"
"Three weeks after young Timothy was born a female victim, drug overdose was found at a motel. Turned out to be Erica. Coroners' report, improper post-surgical care and drugs don't mix. As far as we know she's buried in an unmarked county cemetery plot."
"What do we do now? I mean …I… what do I do now?"
"You were right the first time Tim, it's we."
"Boss, I couldn't ask…"
"You didn't."
McGee looked at all the people who were in the room and saw nothing but support… from his family.