a/n - it's another double dip night because you guys have been amazing with your reviews. Enjoy it.
Fornell managed to leave his office at a reasonable time and headed straight for the apartment where the task force was working. As expected, McGee was at the computers running programs Tobias knew he would never understand. Jason was stealthily replacing the almost empty cup at his elbow with a full one, while Hank was sorting the piles of printouts into different stacks. He exchanged grins with Hank before turning his attention to the scene at the computer. "You're going to make somebody a fine mother some day, Myers." Jason gave a cocky grin to his supervisor before making a big show of checking McGee's forehead for a fever. Chuckling, Tim swatted his hand away before taking a drink from his cup.
"This isn't coffee." McGee stared at his cup as Myers and Thompson howled with laughter.
"It's herbal tea for your cold and you've been drinking it for the last three hours." Thompson ruffled Tim's hair. "Man, you really get in the zone when you're programming, kid." McGee shrugged and downed the rest of the tea before returning his focus to the screens in front of him.
Fornell smiled at the playful banter. Over the years the four of them had worked and played together, their individual families slowly combining to become one large extended family. Hank's teenage daughter babysat Emily on a regular basis and the entire team spoiled his step-grandchildren when they came to visit. Myers and Sacks, the Mutt and Jeff of his group even double dated on a regular basis and Ron had taken over teaching Jason's little brother to drive when Jason had broken his leg last year. They had taken in the young NCIS agent as their new baby brother just as Fornell had hoped. Now it was time to distract them and rescue the kid.
"Where's Sacks?"
Thompson looked up. "He's on the dinner run."
"Really?" When Sacks made the meal run, that often meant they were about to be treated with a homemade spread from Mama Sacks. Violet never missed a chance to fuss over one of her "boys" if they weren't feeling well. Thompson's raised eyebrow told him that was exactly the plan as he carefully moved the sorted papers to a nearby side table.
Thompson had just picked up the last stack when the door opened. Sacks came through, carrying a large stockpot and with a paper bag wedged under his arm. Behind him, Violet had a box balanced carefully. One sniff and Fornell knew exactly what was in the box. He bypassed Sacks and took the box.
"Why, thank you Tobias."
"Yeah, thanks." Ron struggled to maintain his grip on the hot and heavy pot with the bulky mitts preventing him from wrapping his fingers around the handles better. When he shifted, the bag slipped several inches before he could lock his arm better against it. Myers took pity on him and stepped out of the way to give him a clear path to the kitchen. "Really, thanks guys."
McGee stood up and took the bag, allowing Sacks to concentrate on getting the pot to the stove without spilling it. He followed Sacks into the kitchen and handed him back the bag as soon as he pulled off the mitts. Violet was right behind them and witnessed the entire exchange. She immediately cornered McGee to take a good look at the ill agent.
No rescue came as he was poked and prodded. She examined his throat, checked the glands in his neck, looked in his ears, felt his forehead and laid her ear against his chest to listen to his breathing. Exam completed, she shook her finger at McGee. "That is settling in your lungs, young man. I am putting you to bed and after you eat, you are getting a mustard plaster."
"Umm…" McGee unconsciously leaned back from the pointed finger only inches from his nose. Ron's mother may only come up to his shoulder, but she was obviously a force to be reckoned with. Ignoring his non-reply, she turned to Fornell.
"You have a bed tray here, right?"
"Uhh, no…" Fornell winced as he explained his negative answer. "He wasn't sick when we set the place up."
"Tobias Fornell, what kind of an excuse is that?" McGee relaxed slightly as her attention was diverted. "Are you telling me the FBI can't add something to this place?"
Hank tried to appease her. "I'll run down to the mall and pick one up right now."
"And make this poor boy wait for his dinner?" She took Tim's arm and led him to the table as she issued orders to the rest of the men. "Ronny, you start dishing up the soup; Hank start slicing the bread." She pointed to the bag Tim had rescued earlier and Thompson pulled out a large loaf of homemade bread. It was still warm in his hands.
Violet glared at the cup sitting where McGee had been working. "That had better not have been coffee." Jason happily picked it up, taking the opportunity to be the golden boy.
"Of course not. I remembered and got him herbal tea."
As soon as she had McGee pushed into a chair she crossed her arms and glared at Myers. "Well, an empty cup is going to do him a lot of good." When Jason dashed into the kitchen to make another cup she checked on the progress in there. "Thicker slices, Hank, don't be so stingy." Fornell was hovering over the box as he waited for more bowls of the beef barley soup to carry to the table. "Tobias, get your nose out of that berry cobbler."
The simple but hearty meal reminded Tim of the monthly dinners at his grandmother's home when he was a child, right down to the cobbler for dessert. Everyone laughed when Violet slapped Jason's hand as he tried to sneak a third helping.
"How do you expect to catch yourself a woman with that expanding waistline of yours?" Myers made a big show of catching her hand and kissing it before putting on a heavy Southern accent.
"Why, Miss Violet, I've already found myself the perfect woman, but Ronny here says he doesn't want me as a stepfather." Ron showed his opinion by pelting the other man with a balled up napkin while the rest of the group laughed and whistled.
After dinner, Jason took the dog out for a walk while Tobias and Hank took care of the leftovers and the dishes. Tim was chased off to bed while Ron helped his mother prepare the mustard plaster, unobtrusively turning on the fan over the stove and opening a window. The other two men made quick work of their share of the kitchen before retreating to the far end of the apartment.
Jason and Jethro returned as Violet was applying the plaster to Tim's chest. Once unhooked from his leash, Jethro made a dash for the bedroom, but came to a sudden halt at the doorway. Blinking and sneezing, the dog backed up, much to the amusement of the humans there. Tobias followed the dog, using the opportunity to wipe at his own eyes.
Back in the bedroom, Violet tugged Tim's t-shirt back in place over the warm, treated flannel. "There you go. Now that is going to help break up that chest congestion you've got going."
McGee was careful not to move more than necessary as moving seemed to stir up the vapors of the mustard. "Feels like it's clearing up my sinuses too."
"Absolutely." She patted his leg before standing up. "Now, who is staying here with him tonight?" Before Tim could remind the group that he was actually quite capable of sleeping without supervision, Jason Myers spoke up.
"It's my night, tonight."
She gave him a careful look before issuing instructions. "I made that plaster extra strong to knock out that congestion. You need to check it every few hours to make sure it doesn't burn his skin, you hear me?" He gave her a sketchy salute in response.
Ron left the apartment with his mother soon after they had McGee settled for the night and Hank followed them a few minutes later. Tobias locked the door behind them and started reviewing what McGee had found. He looked up over his glasses as Jason plopped down on the chair across from him.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone work a computer like that before. Certainly no one in our office can do it. I don't think any of the geeks in our cybercrime unit can do what that kid can do. Why are they risking him out in the field?"
Tobias thought about it as he lay the papers back down in their piles. He thought he was getting a handle on what made Gibbs' young agent tick. "It's what he wants. As good as the kid is at the computer stuff, I think he'd go crazy stuck at a desk all day." A quick look at his watch and Fornell was on his feet. "Call if you have any problems, otherwise I'll see you in the morning after I take Emily to her play date." He looked over at Jethro, still rubbing his nose on the carpet. "Come on, boy, you can come home with me tonight." Jethro was pawing at the door before Tobias had his coat on.
---NCIS---
Ziva David pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine, staring up at the dark apartment. McGee's car was not in its assigned spot, but she wanted to make sure. With her lockpicks, it was an easy job to get inside McGee's apartment. She checked the bedroom first, but it was empty. The small bathroom contained few personal items and nothing that would be used on a daily basis. She checked the closet next, only slightly surprised to find most of his suits gone. Before she could check the dresser, a sound at the outer door caught her attention. It was a set of lockpicks and not a key that was working the lock and she drew her gun to greet the new arrival.
Gibbs regretted not bringing his glasses with him to better see what he was doing, but picking a lock was more feel than see once he got the picks through the keyhole. The door opened and he was looking down the barrel of a federally issued SIG Sauer.
"We should have carpooled, Ziva."
"Gibbs" She tucked her weapon back into its holster. Neither one of them felt guilty about breaking into McGee's home.
"Well?"
Her report was clear and succinct. "He is not currently staying here, his personal items have been removed from the bathroom and most of his clothing is no longer here."
He made his own assessment as she spoke, looking around the living room and the kitchen. "Jethro's stuff is gone." Ziva nodded once before pulling out her phone. McGee sounded sleepy when he answered.
~Yeah, McGee.~
"McGee, it is Ziva. I thought I would drop off some food for you." She tilted the phone so Gibbs could hear both sides of the conversation.
~Ziva, thanks, but it's really late and I'm already in bed. Maybe tomorrow?~
"It's no trouble, and I am downstairs. Where is your car?" They both held their breath waiting for the answer.
~I'm at a friend's place for the night. I appreciate the thought, Ziva, but I'll see you on Monday, okay?~
They heard the dial tone and she closed the phone. Gibbs was the first to speak. "I wonder if that was the friend that was following him."
"We could trace his phone. I believe he will leave it turned on tonight."
As tempting as it was, Gibbs shook his head no. "Even if he's not willing to share with us, he needs to feel like he can trust us."
---NCIS---
Tobias crawled into bed just in time to hear Emily's door open. He waited and the door closed again just as quietly. Curious, he climbed back out of bed and crept down the hall to ease her door back open. Two pairs of eyes looked back at him before closing again. Laughing to himself, he closed the door on his little girl and her new seventy pound furry bedmate.
---NCIS---
Every few hours Tim was vaguely aware of Jason coming in to check on him and adjust the smelly pack on his chest. It was nice to be fussed over for a change, but he couldn't shake the notion that it would have been even nicer to hear some sarcastic jokes and movie references at the same time.