Chapter Twelve: Torn

Jenny was taking a quick breather between meetings to eat a snack while she signed off on a few reports when her cell phone started ringing. She glanced at the caller ID and saw it was the kids' daycare calling.

"Hello," she answered.

"Jenny, it's Faith. We had a little issue this morning. Everybody's fine but I was wondering if you could come over here."

"An issue?" Jenny asked, worrying creeping into her voice. "Um, I have meetings all day but I can send Jethro. Is it bad? Do I need to come?"

"No, no, no," Faith said, "just normal kid stuff. I assure you everything's fine."

"Okay," Jenny said. "I'll send Jethro right over."

"Thank you," Faith said.

Jenny hung up with Faith and called Gibbs up to her office. She told him about the phone call from Faith and he headed out, promising to let her know what was going on. He reminded himself to be calm as he drove. Faith had said nothing was wrong but he couldn't think of any other reason he'd be called over. Rush hour had ended leaving the roads a little less congested but he still had to fight his way through traffic. Twenty minutes later he parked his car at the daycare and hurried into the school, wishing it was closer. He knew twenty minutes wasn't actually that far away when you were talking about DC but when he was worried it seemed like an eternity.

He found Faith sitting in what he knew was the art room with Bailey and another little boy. Bailey was holding an ice pack to his eye and the other little boy had one on his mouth.

"Uh-oh," Bailey muttered, making eye contact with Gibbs.

"What happened?" Gibbs asked pulling the ice pack away so he could look at Bailey's eye for a moment.

"Bailey and Robbie got into a fight this morning," Faith explained.

"A fight?" Gibbs asked. That was the last thing he suspected from Bailey. "Over what?"

"Over whose dad was the coolest," Faith said. Gibbs hid his smile from everyone in the room. "I am really sorry, Agent Gibbs, but I have to suspend him for a day. It's policy."

"There's no need to apologize," Gibbs said. "We don't expect you to bend any rules for us." He pulled the ice pack away from Robbie's lip so he could inspect the damage.

"I know," Faith said. "You're just such a wonderful family. I don't want to lose you guys."

Gibbs laughed. "You're not going to lose us. We like that you have structure and rules. Did you apologize to Robbie, Bailey?"

"Yes," Bailey answered.

"Alright," Gibbs said, "go put your shoes on and get your things packed up."

"Yes Sir," Bailey mumbled as he stood. Gibbs lightly tapped Bailey's butt as he walked by as a show of affection.

"He can come back on Wednesday?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes," Faith said. "Thank you Jethro."

"Thank you," Gibbs said. He stopped to say hello to Josie and heard all about the fight from her before he told her Bailey was leaving and he'd be back later to get her. After exchanging hugs and a kisses with her, he made sure Bailey had collected all of his things then the two headed out. They were quiet until Gibbs pulled out of the parking lot and Bailey felt the need to defend himself.

"I was just a'fending you, Daddy," he said attempting to work his magic with his best puppy dog eyes.

"I appreciate that," Gibbs said, "but you know better than to fight, don't you?"

"I guess," Bailey admitted. He paused before continuing. "Am I in trouble?"

"Uh-huh," Gibbs said, "grounded. No TV for the rest of the week."

"But I love you, Daddy!" Bailey protested.

Gibbs hid his smirk. This was the first major problem they'd had with either child and the first serious punishment he'd handed out. "I love you too, Bailey, but I'm not going to let you get away with breaking the rules. There are consequences when you act up. When is it okay to fight?"

"If somebody else starts a fight with me then I can a'fend myself," Bailey said.

"That's right," Gibbs said. "Who started the fight today? You or Robbie?"

"Uh, we both started it," Bailey admitted, "um, but maybe I might of pushed him first before he hit my eye and then I hit his lip and it bleeded and he started crying but I said I'm sorry."

"I'm glad you apologized but I'm sorry doesn't always fix everything," Gibbs said.

Bailey puffed his lip out and crossed his arms in front of his chest dramatically. He pouted the rest of the way back to NCIS. After parking the car, Gibbs lifted his limp body out of the booster seat and carried him towards the building.

"I know you're upset with me right now but I'm doing this because I love you, Kiddo, and I want you to grow up learning to follow rules," Gibbs said.

Bailey rested his head against Gibbs' chest but remained quiet. Even though he was mad he knew it was his fault. Gibbs kissed Bailey's head as he carried him up to Jenny's office to explain to Mommy what had happened at school. Jenny took a look at Bailey's black eye and she and Gibbs decided to have Ducky look at it just in case.

Ducky poked and prodded while Bailey pushed and swatted his hand away. The doctor determined there was no damage other than the bruising, gave his patient a sucker then sent them on their way.

Gibbs took Bailey up to the squad room and pulled a coloring book out of his desk drawer. The four year old told his very impressed Uncle Tony what had happened at daycare then sat down in the chair next to his daddy. He quickly grew bored of coloring and climbed from his chair into Gibbs' lap. Gibbs was pleased his little boy no longer seemed to be angry about his punishment. He wrapped his arms around Bailey and kissed the top of his head.

"Daddy, how come you don't have no pictures of us on your desk?" Bailey asked.

"'Cause sometimes there are bad guys in here and I want to keep you guys safe," Gibbs answered. He didn't want any criminals to know what his family looked like. He knew all too well that family could be used as leverage and criminals often didn't have any problem harming women or children. "Want to see something?"

Bailey nodded as Gibbs shifted him to one side and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He pulled out a family photo and showed it to Bailey. "Who's that?" he asked.

"That's me and that's Mommy and Josie and you," Bailey said with a smile.

"That's right," Gibbs said. "I always keep you guys close to me."

"And safe from the bad guys," Bailey said.

"And safe from the bad guys," Gibbs repeated quietly as he stroked his fingers through his son's hair. He hadn't been able to keep his first family safe from the bad guys. He hoped he could do better with his new family. Bailey's arms around his neck brought him out of his daze and he hugged him back, kissing his head.

Gibbs and Bailey had lunch with Jenny in her office. Jenny had a break between meetings and enjoyed spending it with her guys. Getting everything in order for a new director to take over was time consuming. She was ready for it to be over.

With Jenny having meetings scheduled all afternoon, they decided to lay Bailey down in Abby's lab for his nap. The twins slept there occasionally and played there often. They both adored Abby and she always took good care of them. Just as they were getting ready to take Bailey down, Gibbs cell phone rang. He recognized the area code as being from Stillwater but didn't recognize the phone number. His gut started turning immediately.

"Hello," he answered, holding his hand up to stop Jenny and Bailey from leaving.

"Leroy, this is Maggie, from Stillwater," the older woman said, "your dad's friend."

"What's going on, Maggie?" Gibbs asked.

"Something's wrong with Jack. He just left here in an ambulance," Maggie said. "I came by the store this morning to pick up some bread and he was on the floor. I couldn't wake him up. I don't know what happened."

"I'm on my way," Gibbs said. "Thanks for the call."

Gibbs hung up his phone and Jenny could read the fear on his face. It was a look she'd never seen before. "Your dad?" she asked. She remembered Maggie from their visit months earlier.

"He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance," Gibbs said. "He's unconscious."

"I'm going with you," Jenny said.

"No, Jen, please," Gibbs said. "You're getting ready to retire. You're eight months pregnant. Stay here, finish everything you need to so you can retire and stay home with the baby. Let me go and I'll call you as soon as I know something. If need be I'll come back and get you or have one of the team bring you up. I don't want you driving that far when you're this pregnant."

"Are you sure?" Jenny asked. Yes, she was busy and needed at NCIS. Yes, she was eight months pregnant and a four hour road trip probably would've been the most uncomfortable thing in the world but she wanted to be there for her husband. Family was the most important thing. She would never forget that.

Gibbs put his hands on her shoulders, needing that physical touch with her. "I'm sure," he said. "I'll take Mohammed Ali with me. Will you be okay with Josie?"

"We'll be fine," Jenny said even though she found herself not wanting him to go. She knew it was selfish but she needed him too. She was almost getting too big to move. She was scared. So many things could happen and he had been her rock through the entire pregnancy. He always made everything okay.

Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He didn't want to leave anymore than she wanted him to. The call from Stillwater couldn't have come at a worse time. He was torn. His dad needed him and his wife needed him. "I love you, Jenny," he whispered into her hair before pulling back and kissing her.

"I love you." Jenny rested her hand against his cheek. An intimate gesture that showed she cared and told him she was worried. "Call me," she said, her voice pleading, "as soon as you know something."

Gibbs nodded and brushed his thumb across her cheek before leaning in to kiss her once more. He picked Bailey up and Jenny kissed him goodbye then they were off. He could feel Jenny watching him as he walked down the hall and he immediately flashed back to Shannon and Kelly in his rear view mirror as he drove off the last time. He could hear Kelly's cries and pleas for him to stay and see his wife comforting their daughter. He felt sick to his stomach. Was it happening again? He lost himself for a moment before he remembered he wouldn't be that far away and that his team would have Jenny's six.

"Daddy?" Bailey's voice was quiet. The four year old could sense something was wrong.

"Everything's okay, buddy," Gibbs said as he stepped into the elevator. He reached up and ran his hand over Bailey's hair. "You and I are going to go on a little trip. Okay?"

"Are we coming back?" Bailey asked hesitantly. He knew something was off. Was it because he'd gotten into a fight? He'd been bad and now Gibbs didn't want him anymore. He'd spent the last nine months of his life with Gibbs and Jenny but he still felt insecure sometimes. He still wondered if they would stop loving him. His real dad used to be nice to him too but then he went on a trip and when he got back life had been hell.

"Of course we're coming back," Gibbs said, "and when we get back, it won't be long before the baby comes." He had to do something to take his mind off the seriousness of the situation, something to calm himself and his child. He knew he was scaring his boy and that wasn't his intention. He hugged Bailey and kissed his cheek so he'd know he was loved then loaded the four year old up in the car and raced over to the daycare. He didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to his little girl.

The kids had just been put down for their afternoon nap but after checking, Faith saw that Josie wasn't asleep yet. She brought the little girl out to Gibbs. Gibbs sat down with his back to the table and pulled Josie up into his lap with Bailey.

"Bailey and I have to go on a trip, Sweet Pea," Gibbs explained doing his best to sound natural. "I need you to take really good care of Mommy for me while I'm gone. Can you do that?"

Josie nodded her head as she searched her daddy's face. "What trip?" she asked.

Gibbs knew the question was coming but he still struggled with the answer. He didn't want to say grandpa's because it wasn't a social visit and he didn't want to scare her or have to explain why Bailey got to go to grandpa's and she didn't. "We're going—we're just… Bailey and I have to go to another town to take care of some business." He mentally kicked himself for the lousy answer.

"Daddy, you're scaring me," Josie said, her lower lip quivering.

"Why am I scaring you, Baby?" Gibbs asked.

Josie shrugged. She didn't know what it was but she could sense something was wrong.

"Daddy's had to go out of town before," Gibbs said, "but I always come back, don't I?"

Josie nodded and brushed the tears from her eyes before they could fall. Gibbs kissed her forehead then rubbed noses with her. "Everything's going to be okay," he said, "I promise. I love you, Josie."

"I love you, Daddy," Josie said. "I will take very good care of Mommy for you." She could be brave and strong when her daddy needed her to. She knew Gibbs wouldn't lie to her and trusted that everything really would be okay.

"Thank you Sweet Pea," Gibbs said with a smile. "I'll call you tonight before you go to bed and I'll be home as soon as I can. Can I have a goodbye kiss?"

Josie gave Gibbs one of her signature wet, sloppy kisses on his cheek and he returned the favor before one of the teachers took her back to the room the children were napping in.

"I can take Bailey, Jethro," Faith said knowing the situation. "Special circumstances. It really is fine."

"That's okay," Gibbs said. "We'll be okay but thanks for the offer."

"I hope everything works out," Faith said.

Gibbs nodded his appreciation then he and Bailey headed for the house. The go bag he kept in his trunk only had enough for one overnight and he wasn't sure how long he'd be in Stillwater. Bailey needed things too. While Bailey packed his stuffed animals, a few toys and some books, Gibbs threw clothing and toiletries sloppily into his duffle bag. Neatness wasn't his priority; he just had to get things in there so they could leave. He was doing his best not to panic because he knew it would worry Bailey but for the first time in a long time he was afraid; afraid of what was wrong with his dad and afraid of leaving his very pregnant wife.

He pushed the thoughts aside, got Bailey and the bag the little boy had packed, wondering what his son had chosen to bring along then they hurried out to the car. He'd packed Bailey's essentials so it didn't matter too much what Bailey had chosen. Gibbs loaded up the trunk, made sure Bailey was buckled and within an hour of getting the phone call he was on his way.

Gibbs kept Bailey entertained on the long ride to Stillwater by having him search for certain letters and numbers on the license plates of the passing cars, picking out shapes in the clouds, looking for farm animals and singing songs with him. He realized that not only was he keeping Bailey entertained, he was keeping himself calm.

What seemed like an eternity later, he pulled up in front of the small hospital in Stillwater. He wasn't sure what to expect and was trying to prepare himself for a worst case scenario but he didn't want to lose his father. He wasn't ready to let him go. He'd told Bailey that Grandpa was sick and they were going to visit him. The whole time he was desperately hoping they didn't have to say goodbye.

The receptionist told Gibbs to have a seat and the doctor would be out to speak with him shortly. Gibbs found Maggie in the waiting room. She'd been with Jack all day.

"Have they told you anything?" Gibbs asked as he sat down next to Maggie.

"I don't know what happened," Maggie said, "but he is awake and talking. The doctor wouldn't give me any information because I'm not family."

"He's awake," Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a good sign, I think." He hugged Bailey tight and kissed the top of his head, relieved that his dad was alive.

A doctor appeared at the reception desk and called Gibbs' name. Maggie offered to stay with Bailey while Gibbs talked to the doctor.

"Do you want to watch TV?" Maggie asked Bailey.

"I'm not allowed," Bailey said refusing to even look in the direction of the TV. "I got in a fight at school and now I'm grounded."

"Oh dear," Maggie said. "What were you fighting about?"

"Robbie said his dad was the coolest but I told him nu-uh, my daddy is the coolest," Bailey said. "Then he said nu-uh, his dad was so then I pushed him and he hit me in the eye and I hit him in the lip and then my teacher came and she was very angry and she called Daddy and he said I was grounded but you know what?"

"What?" Maggie asked.

"My daddy really is the coolest," Bailey insisted. "Not Robbie's."

"Your eye looks like it hurts," Maggie pointed out.

Bailey shrugged. "It doesn't hurt that bad."

"How about you and I read a book," Maggie suggested. Bailey nodded and scooted closer to her while she grabbed a book off the table next to her.

Gibbs followed the doctor back to what looked like a break room. "What's going on, Doc?" Gibbs asked as he shook the woman's hand.

"Jack's okay, he's awake and alert," the doctor said.

"What happened?" Gibbs interrupted, trying not to get impatient.

"He doubled up on his blood pressure medicine by mistake," the doctor answered. "Your dad is very lucky, some people don't come back from that. We're going to keep him here overnight for observation. I don't see any reason he couldn't go home tomorrow."

"Can I see him?" Gibbs asked.

"Absolutely," the doctor said. She took Gibbs down a hallway and pushed open the door to one of the rooms to reveal Jack lying in bed watching TV.

"Leroy," Jack said surprised. He turned the TV off and leaned up in bed. "What are you doing here?"

Gibbs had to remind himself not to let his relief turn to anger. "I'm here to see you, Dad," he said resting his hand on his dad's head. "What happened?"

"I guess I took too many of my pills," Jack admitted. "I couldn't remember if I took one or not so I took another."

"You gave us a scare," Gibbs said. He pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down.

"I'm sorry, Leroy," Jack said. "I didn't mean for you to come all this way. I hope you didn't drag the family."

"I brought Bailey," Gibbs said. "He got into a fight at school this morning."

Jack cocked his head and looked over at Gibbs with a surprised look on his face. "That doesn't sound like him."

"That kid will stand there and take all the abuse in the world but don't mess with his family," Gibbs said with a proud smile. "He got into a fight with another little boy over whose dad was the coolest."

Jack didn't even bother trying to hide his laugh. "Well, don't keep me waiting, Son! Bring me my grandson!"

Gibbs smiled and nodded as he stood. He looked back at his father one more time before returning to the waiting room to get Bailey.

"I didn't watch TV, Daddy," Bailey said proudly.

"Good boy," Gibbs said picking Bailey up. "Thank you for everything, Maggie," he said.

"It wasn't a problem at all," Maggie said. "I've been worried about him lately. Ever since Leroy died, Jack hasn't been himself."

"Leroy died?" Gibbs asked in shock. That was one of his dad's close friends, his partner in business. They'd opened the store together.

"Oh yeah," Maggie said waving a hand in the air. "It's been over two months now. Your father took the news hard. He's been a little depressed. I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

"Leroy is my daddy's name too," Bailey said, "but only Grandpa calls him that."

"Your daddy was named after one of your grandpa's very close friends," Maggie told Bailey.

"Cool," Bailey said. "Can I see Grandpa?"

"Yeah Son," Gibbs said. "We're going to go see Grandpa right now. Thanks again, Maggie."

Maggie left the hospital after being there the majority of the afternoon and Gibbs carried Bailey down the hall to his dad's room, his mind spinning with questions. He sat Bailey in the bed next to his dad then stood back and watched, trying to figure out what to say and how to approach the matter without Jack feeling the need to get defensive.

Jack made a comment about Bailey's shiner then had to explain that shiner was another word for black eye. Bailey told him all about the fight and once again insisted that his dad was cooler than Robbie's dad. He asked his grandpa why he was in the hospital and accepted the explanation that Grandpa just wasn't feeling very good.

While they talked, Gibbs stepped out into the hall to call Jenny. He filled her in on what had happened and told her about the death of one of his father's best friends. He told her he wanted to hang around town for a couple days to make sure his dad was doing okay and she agreed that was a good idea. After talking to Josie briefly and saying goodnight to her, he promised to call Jenny later on after the kids were both in bed then hung up.

When Gibbs walked back into Jack's room he found Bailey cuddled up next to his grandpa nearly asleep as Jack told him another one of his made up tales. Bailey loved his grandpa's stories. Gibbs sat down and just listened. By the time the story was over, Bailey was out. He'd missed his nap and was obviously tired. Gibbs considered confronting his dad but decided to wait since Bailey was asleep. He didn't want to wake him and if it turned into a fight he didn't want Bailey to be right in the middle of it.

"Take my grandson home, Leroy," Jack said. "The hospital is no place for a sleepover." Gibbs smiled halfheartedly and nodded. "I'm sorry about the mess. I didn't get a chance to clean this past weekend."

"That's okay, Dad," Gibbs said. He leaned down and kissed his dad goodnight. The scare of the day and fear of losing his dad was making him a little sentimental. "I'm glad you're okay." Jack attempted to laugh it off but after his conversation with Maggie, Gibbs was beginning to see though his act. "We'll be back in the morning. We'll bring you some breakfast so you're not stuck with hospital food."

"I appreciate that," Jack said. "Thanks for coming, Leroy."

Gibbs took Bailey and headed for his father's house. It was almost 9:00 by the time he pulled into the driveway and he was looking forward to relaxing. It had been a long day. As soon as he walked into his father's house he realized there wasn't time to relax. His worry grew as he walked through the house. The once neat and organized rooms had things left lying haphazardly around, fast food wrappers and empty takeout containers littered many of the surfaces in the living room and dining room, the refrigerator was empty, mail was piled up, beds weren't made, laundry wasn't done, the house was a disaster.

Gibbs put Bailey down in his old room, tucked him in and kissed his forehead then pulled the door most of the way closed behind him. He knew Josie should be sleeping too so he pulled out his phone and called Jenny while he started cleaning the house.

"Hey," he said when she answered, "can you talk? Is Josie sleeping?"

"She's asleep and I am relaxing comfortably in bed thanks to my pregnancy pillows and my wonderful, loving husband," Jenny said.

Gibbs couldn't not smile at that remark as he started throwing empty food containers into the trash can. "I'm happy to hear that," he said. "I think we have a problem, Jen."

"What's wrong?" Jenny asked now concerned. She thought everything with Jack was okay.

Gibbs explained to her the state the house was in, the past due bills lying on the counter that his father simply hadn't paid, the fact that it looked like his father hadn't eaten a home cooked meal in weeks, maybe longer and that there were no clean clothes in his dresser. "I'm really worried about him, Jen," he said. "He's always been so strong, you know, with my mom dying. He took care of her till the end and then everything I put him through. I've never seen anything like this."

Jenny listened, her heart breaking more and more as her husband spoke. She wished she could be there to hold him and comfort him. She'd never heard him like that before. "Maybe it's time he move a little closer to family," she said.

"He wouldn't leave Stillwater," Gibbs said, "especially not to move to the big city."

"Would he move in with us?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know," Gibbs sighed. "I don't have a clue how to talk to him about any of this without getting into a fight and I don't want to fight with him anymore. I don't want to be mad at him anymore. I don't want to lose him again."

"Maybe you should tell him that," Jenny said.

Gibbs thought and after Jenny suggested it, it seemed like the most obvious thing in the world. He felt like his relationship with his father was fragile and he didn't want to mess it up but he couldn't let things go. "What do you think I should do?" he asked.

"Well, his friend has been gone over two months," Jenny said. "It's normal to grieve and even ignore your responsibilities for a little while but it sounds like he's not taking care of himself at all. If he's not eating, not paying his bills, doesn't have clean clothes, you can't live like that, Jethro. Does he have many friends left up there?"

"It's a small town," Gibbs said. "Everybody's a friend and everybody's an enemy, it just depends on what day of the week it is."

"I think moving in with his family might help," Jenny said. "You're here, his grandkids are here with another one on the way—"

"And you," Gibbs pointed out. "He really likes you, Jen."

"We've already been talking about moving," Jenny said. "This scare really came at a good time, I wish it hadn't happened at all, of course but as we're already looking for a house, we can look for something to accommodate his needs as well as our own. It'd be close quarters for a little while but we'd find room. We can put the baby in our room and him in the nursery."

"That would work for a little while," Gibbs said. "Are you sure you don't mind having him around?"

"With three kids and you at work? I could use the reinforcements!" They both shared a laugh before Jenny got serious again. "I really don't mind it at all. It's all about family now and Jack is family."

"Okay, I'll talk to him," Gibbs said, "and Jen, thank you."

"You're welcome, Baby. I love you."

"I love you," Gibbs said.

The two said goodnight and hung up then Gibbs did a little more cleaning before lying down. He was hoping to get at least a couple hours of sleep before it was time to return to the hospital again.