He was making the bed and didn't hear her come in. He turned around only to nearly jump out of his skin when he saw her there. "Dee!"
"Oh, Tim, I didn't mean to scare you!"
He eyed her, looking dressed and put-together, whereas he was a mess. God, she was his rock. He rubbed a hand over his face, and sighed, before looking at the cup in her hand. "That better be decaf."
She rolled her eyes, "Is this what the rest of my pregnancy is going to be like? You being all overprotective?"
"No," he replied, but at her raised eyebrows, he gave her a slight smile. "Maybe. But don't worry, I won't be nearly as bad as Jimmy was."
She giggled. "I'm almost sorry I missed that." They were both quiet for a second, remembering the distance that had been between them. He sat down on the edge of the bed, burying his head in his hands. "Tim? Did I say something wrong?" she rolled over to him, and took his hands in hers.
He looked up, and knew that his hands were shaking, even in her firm grasp. "Dee, I-,"
"Don't say you're sorry again, Tim, please." She smiled. "How are you?"
"I slept like the- like a rock, last night." He'd been about to say like the dead, but neither needed the reminder that Paraguay could have gone a lot differently.
"No nightmares?" she asked.
"No. No cold sweats, no nightmares. And I'm glad, I didn't want to keep you up another night."
"Stop it right there, with the guilt, okay? We're here. You are here." She leaned in and kissed him, before pulling away. "And we're married, so you're not getting rid of me that easily. And you're not going to Gibbs' house the next time you can't sleep."
"I don't want to wake you though, you need rest."
"What I need is to support my husband. Tim." She squeezed his hand. "You were there for me after the Conrad gala. And now I'm here for you."
He laughed weakly. "I don't really think the two things compare."
She paused, lost in thought, then brightened. "Tell you what, Tim. You have a few hours before you have to go into the office, right?"
"Right… Why?"
"Because I think I know just the thing for us to do this morning. But you, Mister, are getting dressed first."
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"It's a surprise," she called over her shoulder as he left.
"You know, Dee, we're married, you don't have to leave when I get undressed."
She laughed on her way out the door. "I'm leaving so you don't get any ideas about delaying us, Tim."
He was left there, if not healed, a little more whole. She was his rock, and he was in that moment so glad he married her.
XNCISX
"Ooh, I love the smell of books," Tim closed his eyes, standing in the aisle of the bookstore, breathing in as he smiled to himself.
"Hon, could you park your nose somewhere else please? You're blocking the door."
He jumped out of the way, only to see Dee rolling her eyes as she laughed at him. "Sorry."
"It's fine." She looked around, and smiled.
As if on cue, a saleswoman popped up. Her eyes went wide when she saw Delilah, who merely smiled brightly back at her, hands on her belly, but she looked for a cue from Tim. "Can I help you two find anything?"
"We're actually looking for the section on parenting?" Delilah started, the woman's eyes going even wider, as if stunned that she had her own voice.
"Oh, uh… of course. It's just in the back corner of the store… right next to the fiction section."
"Thanks," Tim said, exchanging a smile with his wife. "Oh and do you carry Thom E. Gemcity books?"
"Yes. They should be in the fiction section…?" she replied, the duh evident in her voice. But her focus was no longer on Delilah. "They are bestsellers, sir."
"Right." Tim kept a remarkably straight face. "I'd only just started reading his books myself. Thanks."
"Let me know if I can help you find anything else," she said, before scurrying off, leaving Delilah giggling as she and Tim made their way to the back of the store.
"I'm not sure what made her more uncomfortable- the wheelchair or the baby bump," she said with a stifled laugh. "Nice distraction though."
"Thanks, Dee." He looked oddly proud of himself. "Figured that playing the doofus husband would be useful. You think she'd never seen a pregnant woman before."
"That's not why she was staring, Tim," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"Maybe she was checking you out. It's what I'd be doing," he teased. "But I figured that you didn't need one more person staring."
"Nice distraction, Mr. McGee. She might have actually passed out if she realized that you are Gemcity."
"Shh not so loud. You'll blow my cover, But yes, it is I, Thom E. Gemcity. In the flesh," he said with a wink, and then asked. "Do we have the list?"
"Of books? Yes. Although I don't see why we need so many parenting books," she complained, passing the list to him.
"I just want to make sure I know what I'm doing," he replied, scanning the shelves to find what he wanted.
"Tim," she said patiently, taking the books as he handed them to her. "Tim."
He turned, another book in hand. "Yeah hon?"
"I have faith that we're going to figure it out."
"I know, but I've already missed so much, and-,"
"Tim, come here."
He set the book back on the shelf, and then turned to her. "I'm just scared," he admitted.
"And you think I'm not?" she replied, touching his face. "You don't have to become an expert on babies, Tim. We're going to figure it together. Okay?"
"Okay." He grinned, kissing her quickly, before turning back to the shelves. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to read a bunch of parenting manuals."
"Why don't you just ask Gibbs? Or Jimmy?" she asked.
"I will ask them, but…" He paused. "I want to do this myself."
"It's not a crime to ask for help," she replied, amused, and watching as he kept handing her books.
As he looked through the shelves, picking volumes here and there, he didn't notice that the pile of books was growing into a precarious stack, which wobbled on Dee's lap. "I can't find the one by J. Katz. I know it's supposed to be here… but…"
"Uh… Tim?"
He turned, only to realize that he could see his wife's eyes above the tilting stack of books, but not much else. She was giving him an amused look, and he grinned. "Sorry, Dee."
"You know, I don't think we have enough."
"Very funny." He took the stack from her, tucking it underneath one arm, before looking at the shelf again. "Whoever organized this shelf deserves a stern talking to, huh Dee?" Met with silence, he turned around, only to find his wife gone.
His heart started beating faster, and he quickly hurried off. He could feel himself breaking into a cold sweat. Tim think reasonably. It wasn't as if she could've gone far. And then he found her the next row over. Completely whole and glowing and so very beautiful.
He took a deep breath, sagging against the shelf. "Dee."
She turned, looking guilty, and he saw that she was holding one of his books. "Uh… hi Tim."
"What were you doing?" he asked, noticing the phone in her hand.
"I may have been taking a picture with your book?" she said, with a sheepish grin. And then she took a closer look. "Tim, are you okay? You look pale."
"I'm fine, Dee. Just… you were gone when I turned around and I guess my brain kinda… panicked."
She winced. "Sorry."
"Both of us need to stop apologizing," he said with a smile. "Here, pass me that."
She handed him the book, and he pulled a pen from his pocket, signing it, before sliding it back onto the shelf. "You signed it?" she asked, grinning.
"Maybe. The world deserves some Gemcity love. Why, do you want me to sign your copies?" he teased.
"I don't need signed copies, I have the author."
"So does that make you Mrs. Gemcity?"
She grinned up at him. "I won't complain. C'mon. One more thing to do before we purchase that monster stack of parenting books."
"And what's that?" he asked.
She gestured for him to follow her, which he did, shifting his stack of books from arm to arm, as they were heavy and made his arms hurt. And then they ended up in a rainbow-colored section of the bookstore, which he knew immediately to be the children's section.
"Uh, Dee, I think we've got a few years before the baby is reading…" he pointed out.
She rolled her eyes at him, and he grinned, feeling he'd deserved it completely. "Tim, we don't have any books to read to our baby. So unless you plan on reading the case files to the baby, I suggest we try something else."
"All right, Dee, what do you suggest then?"
"We both pick one children's book. And then at least we have a start."
He smiled. "Okay. Meet back here in a few minutes?"
"Sounds good to me."
He looked through the shelves, hoping to find what he was looking for. "Aha!" he muttered to himself, before racing back to the front of the section, clutching his book with a strange mix of joy and anticipation.
Delilah was waiting for him, with a huge smile on her face. "Well?" she asked.
He held out his choice. Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. "My grandfather used to read it to me," he explained. "And Penny too."
She smiled. "That's funny, because my pick is one that my dad used to read to me when I was a little girl. I was thinking a few days ago that I wished he was here to read it to our baby." She held it out. The Dr. Seuss Sleep Book.
"I don't think I've ever read that one," he said. "But I trust your judgement.
"Well, take a seat," she said, gesturing to the bean bag next to her chair. "Storytime, Tim."
He did indeed sit, and stared up at his wife with a mix of adoration and gratitude. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be married to Dee, and expecting a child that would be like both of theme. "I'm ready whenever you are, Dee."
She seemed to get that he wasn't just talking about the book, and smiled down at him, before clearing her throat and beginning to read. "The news just came in from the country of Keck, that a very small bug…"
And as he sat there, watching her read to both him and the baby inside her, he wished quite firmly to their child I hope you have her courage, peanut.
XNCISX
He was seated, feet up on his desk as he read, engrossed in the material, so that he almost didn't hear the team coming back from lunch.
"Hey Tim."
"Hi Ellie," he said, absentmindedly.
"What's he readin'?" Torres asked.
"I don't know. Whatcha reading, Tim?"
"Just a book," he responded. "Jimmy recommended it.
"Since when do you take book recommendations from Jimmy?" Ellie asked.
Gibbs walked past. "There's a dead body in Norfolk. Grab your gear."
Tim looked up then, as Nick grabbed the book on his way by. "Parenting: Survival Guide. Sounds intense, Tim."
"Doin' your homework, McGee?" Gibbs asked, walking past Torres.
"Yeah, sure boss." He grabbed his backpack, following the rest of the team to the elevator.
"Well, Tim if ya want any advice from me, lemme know," Gibbs offered with a smile.
Tim tucked the book into his bag. "Sorry, boss, I shouldn't have been reading on the clock."
"Nah," Gibbs shook his head. "You get extra credit with Delilah for readin' that?"
"Just trying to be ready, boss."
Gibbs grinned at him, understanding.
