Chapter 45

Many, many thanks to Craftygirl 11, Kikilia14, and torontogirl12 for their reviews of chapter 43 and 44. This chapter was tough to write but I thought we needed more of Kelly's personality in this story. Please let me know what you think. This part is ending soon then we begin preparations for the wedding. This story will end with the wedding but I have a sequel in the planning stages.

Previously on NCIS

"Hey Sam, what do you …?" she asked entering the room. Gibbs put his finger up to his lips. "Oh Gibbs, what do you need?"

"Blanket," he whispered. The nurse nodded and went to the cabinet. After Leslie helped Gibbs get the blanket to cover them both up she whisper. "She needs this Gibbs. She is a pretty strong lady. She really loves you."

"I know" he whispered.

"She has not left your side," the nurse told him.

He smiled and pulled Samantha closer. "She's a marine after all."

Leslie nodded her head. "Now you get some rest along with her. I'll leave a note for the nurse's not disturb you unless you call or there is an emergency."

Gibbs just smiled and held her laying his head over on top of hers. Samantha's gentle breathing was a comfort to him as sleep over took him.

NCIS

The clock in the ICU room read 1200. The couple had been sound asleep for over five hours. Neither of them had even changed positions as they slept. They were cuddled together under the blanket enjoying the most restful sleep either of them had had since before this whole ordeal had started.

The ICU nurses had come and gone quietly checking Gibbs' vitals and to see if Samantha needed anything. Over the past forty-eight hours all shifts of ICU nurses had come to respect the love Samantha Waverly had for Special Agent Gibbs. A few who knew Jethro from other times he had found himself injured in the line of work knew he needed the love of a this good woman.

"Janet, I need to go in and start the process of moving Agent Gibbs down to a regular room but I really hate to wake them."

"I know Carly. They look so sweet together. Do you know she has not left his side once since he was brought in late Sunday night?"

"Yes Leslie told me she has even showered in the room." Carly said.

"She is one strong lady. Why has she been able to stay there after visiting hours?" Janet asked checking the chart in her hand.

"Well, as I understand it when Dr. Weston insisted that she leave she stood her ground and refused to leave. Dr. Weston called security to forcibly remove her and when they got here the two male NCIS agents looked them in the eye and said "You and what army."" Carly laughed. "Dr. Pitt came in and got an exception. Seems he knows the team through Agent DiNozzo."

"Oh was he that agent who got plague several years ago."

"I think so. He told me that this team is like a family." She smiled. "I can see that. Well guess we have to disturb them. They need this bed as soon as possible."

The two nurses went quietly into the room. Janet walked over and gently put her hand on his shoulder. "Agent Gibbs," she whispered. "We have to get you ready to move to a regular room."

He grabbed at her wrist and then relaxed when he realized where he was. "Huh. Another room."

"Yes, Dr. Pitt ordered it after you latest stats. He feels you will do better with rest and family."

"Ok, do we have to wake her just yet?"

"I am afraid so. She has been here all day and night. Maybe when you are in a regular room you could convince her to go home and get some real rest."

"My idea exactly," he whispered. "She will be going home tonight."

Samantha snuggled into Gibbs' chest. "Has hell frozen over or something?"

Gibbs looked down at her. "What?"

"Hell must have frozen over this morning for you to expect me to go home until you do." Gibbs just shook his head. He knew she was going to be tough but she was going home tonight to rest. Samantha slowly sat up and smiled. "A regular room. Does that mean he is getting better?"

"Yes, Samantha." Carly told her. "Janet and I came in to change his bandages and give him a bath and check vitals etc. You're welcome to stay."

"Unless you have been peeking while I was in dream land, maybe you should go and at least get something to eat." Samantha blushed at the thought. Just then McGee stuck his head through the door.

"Dr. Pitt called and said you were moving to a regular room Boss. He thought I might convince Samantha to get something to eat outside of a hospital tray."

"I'm right here McGee. " Samantha smiled. "Well since I am not a peeping Jane, I would love some lunch. How long Curly?"

"We should have him in his room in about an hour and a half. He will be in room 335. I'll get the orderlies to move your stuff if you like."

"All I have is my computer and I will take that with me." Samantha went over to the door and grabbed her computer bag. Reaching inside she handed Gibbs his cell phone. "Call me if you need anything Gibbs." She bent down and kissed him. She put her lips next to his ear. "Would love to peek but I guess I wait until May 30th. "

This time he blushed slightly. "See you soon," he chuckled.

NCIS

After McGee and Samantha left, the nurses rebadged his wound, removed the EKG leads, cleaned him up and then got him clean gown. Janet then brought him a tray of clear broth and some jello. Gibbs made a disgusted face when she sat it down on the table in front of him. "Would rather have a steak?"

"Not yet. We just got your system working again," she smiled. Gibbs grumbled under his breath but liquid food was better than nothing. "I will be back in a little bit."

After Janet left, Gibbs grabbed his cell phone and quickly dialed Abby's number. "Gibbs, Gibbs, Tony told us you are awake. How are you feeling? Timmy went over to take Sam to lunch. Do you need me to come over there?" Abby answered talking ninety miles a minute.

"I need you for a secret mission. "

"A secret mission, for Sam. Something special for Samantha. I am totally in. Just tell me what to do." She blabbered.

"Abby! Calm down. It is really for Kelly. They are moving me to a regular room and I want her to come see me ….."

"And you really need some help to look healthier. Right."

"Yes, Abby. That baby has been through so much. I don't want her to see me with these dark circles and in a hospital gown. "

"Ok, let's see what we need. First better clothes and second we need something to help you to look less injured." Abby's mind began to race to what she could do to get rid of that I have just been shot pallor. "I have an idea, Gibbs. It may not be something you would normally be willing to do. But since this is for Kelly maybe you would consider it."

"Not sure what you are talking about Abbs but I will try anything for that little girl." Gibbs then thought for a second after all this was Abby. "I think."

"Ok, I will be there is a few minutes. You still in ICU or in your new room."

"Not sure. If I am not in ICU, they told me that I will be in 335."

"See you soon Gibbs." Abby hung up and went looking for some more appropriate clothes.

When Gibbs hung up he smiled a guarded smile. "What have it gotten myself into?" He thought.

NCIS

When Samantha and McGee returned, Gibbs was in his new room and looking much healthier. Gibbs was dressed in one of his NCIS long sleeve shirt and a loose fitting pair of sweats. His color was better and the dark circles that had been deep and darker less than an hour ago were missing. Samantha went up and kissed him. "Ok, Jethro. What is the miracle drug our nurse friends used? You look almost ready to go home," she whispered into his ear.

"I will explain later. " He signed as Abby came out of the bathroom. Samantha nodded and signed back to him. "No need I think I have an idea."

"Hi, Sam. Looks pretty good doesn't he." Abby smiled.

"Always Abby but why this?"

"Kelly." Samantha then smiled knowing her fiancé's motive in the transformation. "We just called Ziva and Tony. They are bringing her over."

Gibbs smiled as Samantha sat down on the bed next to him. She grabbed his hand and sat it in her lab. The group sat and chatted about trivial thing as they waited for Kelly and the others to arrive. It had been a long couple of days since that phone call from Kelly about Julie. They needed time to de-stress from this case. Then Gibbs broached a subject he had been avoiding. "What about Julie's funeral?"

"We were waiting for you Boss. I called the funeral home and started the ball rolling. There is no money so we as a group decided to all chip in for the expense. We want Kelly to have a nice service even if she does not totally understand what is happening." Tim informed him.

"Would like to be there for her if I can," Gibbs replied. "Oh and I want to contribute on this." Samantha smiled and squeezed his hand. He looked at her and realized that she had already committed him to his share. "Thanks sweetheart."

"No problem." Just then Kelly and the rest of the team including Jack came into the room. Kelly ran into the room and started to jump up on the bed to hug Gibbs. "Hang on baby. We have to be careful. Gibbs is hurt."

"I just want to give him a hug." Kelly said sadly. Samantha smiled climbing off the bed. She motioned to Tony who pushed one of the medal chairs up to the bed. Samantha helped Kelly to climb on the bed. Kelly carefully crawled up next to Gibbs and he put his right arm around her and kissed the top of her head.
"How are you doing, little girl?"

"I am just fine. Tony said you were awake. Are you feeling better now?" Kelly smiled up at him and laid her head on his chest.

"I am much better now that you are able to come and see me. Did Samantha show you your new room?"

"Yes it is beautiful. Be better when I can get me other stuff from my old house." She looked at Tony and Tim who promised that they would get them as soon as the house was released as a crime scene.

"Working on it Bosslit. "Tony replied.

Samantha, Gibbs and Jack smiled at the new nick name Tony had given her. Jack walked up and patted his son on the shoulder and winked. "You doing better now son. Your color is much better than the last time I talked to you." Jackson looked at his son and noticed he was wearing theatrical make-up. Jack shook his head and smiled.

The "family" spent the next half hour just enjoying that Gibbs was awake and on the way to being back to them. Samantha began to notice that Gibbs' energy level ready to droop. She walked up and whispered to Abby who had noticed the same thing. "Maybe we should go now Kelly. Gibbs looks like he could use a nap."

"Do you need a nap Gibbs?" Kelly asked patting his cheek.

"Well baby I am still not back to my healthy self. I am working on getting well and sleep is one of the ways I can get well enough to come home."

"Ok, Gibbs. Can I come back to see you after your nap?" She asked giving him a bear hug. Gibbs nodded and hugged her back. Kelly then climbed down from the bed and started for the door. She was almost to the door when she stopped and summoned Samantha to come down to her level. "Could I talk to Gibbs alone for a few minutes?" she whispered. Sam looked up at Gibbs and signed. "She wants to talk to you in private." Gibbs nodded yes.

"We will be outside when you are done. Remember to be careful getting up on the bed and ….."

"Don't make him too tired." Kelly interrupted. "I will take care of him." Gibbs smiled and waved them all outside. When the team and Samantha had all left the room Kelly pushed the chair back up to the bed and climbed up and sat facing him sitting on the bed with her legs crisscrossed in front of her. She had a very serious business like look on her face. "I want to talk to you about something important Gibbs."

Gibbs smiled and positioned himself on the bed for a serious discussion. "Ready. What is it you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I am glad you are ok and I am sorry my father was mean to you."

"Not your fault baby girl." Gibbs reached out and grabbed her hand. She let him hold it but she continued to be all business.

"That is not what I want to talk to you about." She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms across her chest. "Samantha told me that she was now my guard now. She said she would take care of me."

"That is right but it is guardian. Your mommy wanted Sam to take care of you in case…."

"She went to heaven." Kelly finished his sentence and then continued. "She says that makes her like my new mommy."

"Sam is pretty smart. Is that ok with you?" Gibbs smiled. She has a pretty good grasp on things.

Kelly looked him square in the eyes and stared. "Yes, if Mommy can't be here then Samantha is great. Now let me say what I want to."Gibbs smirked at her rebuke. "Did you shoot my father?"

"Yes, he shot me and then I shot him. He was going to come and get you and Samantha. He wanted to hurt you both. I was not going to let him do that." Gibbs honestly told her.

"I know." She said looking down at the bed. "You will always keep us safe, Gibbs. I know that. He was mean to mommy and me. He did not like me Gibbs. I heard him tell mommy that he did not want me. I was a girl and he hated girls."

Gibbs painfully sat up and took her hands in his and kissed the tops of her hands. "I know he told me too. He was wrong you know. Girls are the best kids to have and you are super special. I don't feel that way."

"That is what I wanted to hear. Now I have a question to ask you. I never had a Daddy, Gibbs." Gibbs gave her a nod in agreement.

"You are right. Joseph Williams was not your daddy. He was your father unfortunately."

"A daddy is a person who loves you and will always protect you. He plays games with you. He goes up to school to talk to teachers. He comes to Christmas programs and likes reads you stories. My friends at school told me." She smiled up at him. "You do all those things Gibbs. You gave me your Kelly's room, you were at my birthday party, you made me my beautiful doll house and you kept me save from the man who killed mommy. When you are around Gibbs nobody will hurt me. "

"You have that right. Nobody is going to hurt you ever again. I promise."

"Well since you already do all the things Gibbs. " She looked down at the bed and then back at him after clearing her throat. "Will you be my Daddy?" She crawled up on her knees moving up closer to his face. "Please. I always wanted a Daddy." Before he realized it his eyes were filled with tears. Words failed him. She was so special and he loved her so very much. She was a great salesman. "I know that you had a Kelly and she died. I don't have to call you Daddy. I can call you Gibbs like always." That did it his dam broke and the tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"Sweetheart." He choked back the tears and pulled her closer to him. "I would love to be your daddy. We can discuss the name later. I love you and I will always love you." He took her and gave her a big bear hug.

"Thank you Gibbs." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "You are getting tired now. I will go. I will see you later."

"I am getting a little tired munchkin. " She climbed down from the bed with a big grin on her face. She walked across the room and put her hand on the door. She turned and looked up at him. "Gibbs, can I ask another question?"

"Of course," he chuckled wiping away the tears from his eyes. "Since you are now my daddy and Jack is your daddy, can I call him Grandpa? I always wanted a grandpa and he is great."

Gibbs almost laughed out loud. "It is alright with me. You'll have to ask him."

"Will you tell him it is alright with you?"

"Send him in."

Kelly smiled, waved and blew him a kiss which he caught in the air and blew her one as well. She quietly left the room leaving Gibbs alone. The tears he had been holding back began to flow down his face.

NCIS

Sam noticed a look of satisfaction on Kelly's face as she came out of the room. Kelly walked up to Jack and motioned for him to bend down so she could whisper in his ear. Jack nodded and walked back into his son's hospital room. Kelly then bounced over to Sam and the rest of the team. "Somebody seems happy. Guess your little talk with Gibbs went alright."

"Yes," she smiled. "I will let him tell you what we talked about. We can go now Gibbs needs a nap. Jack will meet us there as soon as he talks to Gibbs." Samantha grabbed Abby's hand and headed toward the elevator. "See you at home, Samantha. Take care of Gibbs."

Tony, Tim, Ziva and Abby looked at Sam. "I will let you know as soon as I find out." Samantha chuckled.

NCIS

Jack walked into the room finding his son wiping his face with sheet on his bed since the tissues were too far away. He handed him a tissue and put his hand on his shoulder. "You ok son. You're not in pain are you?"

"I am fine Dad. Kelly just asked me something that hit me hard." He wiped the rest of the tears from his eyes.

"You love that baby a lot don't you?"

"She is a special kid Dad."

"I know that and I know that it is hard because her name is Kelly and she is about the right age. Now that Samantha is her guardian she is going to be in your life. How do you feel about that?" He pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down.

"I am fine with it. I promise you that Dad. Kelly Gibbs would want it that way. She would want me to take care of her. I know it."

"Well Kelly said you wanted to talk to me about something. What is it you need?"

"She wants to ask you something Dad. She wanted me to tell you I am fine with what she is going to ask and your answer is up to you."

"What does she want Leroy? She is hard to say no to."

Gibbs chuckled and smiled. "Don't I know it? Disciplining here is going to be hard." Jackson nodded. "I promised I would let her ask." Gibbs eyes were beginning to droop and he was showing signs of being extremely tired.

"I will let her ask me then. You get some rest Leroy. Try to convince Samantha to come home. She is totally exhausted."

"I will Dad. Not sure if she will listen. She has a mind of her own."

Jackson Gibbs nodded and headed toward the door after hugging his son. "Get some rest Leroy."

NCIS

Jackson Gibbs walked into the hall and gave his future daughter-in-law a hug. "He needs some rest but what Kelly asked him upset him I think. He did not tell me."

"I will find out Jack and then I will make sure he gets some rest."

Jack put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. "You too." He whispered.

Samantha walked back into the room to find Gibbs dozing in the bed. He seemed to be waiting for her to come back in. "Hey, Baby." He held out his arms motioning for her to come into them. She smiled and fell into his arms. He hugged her close and she climbed into the bed next to him.

"Your dad said you were upset. What's the matter? Kelly was pretty contented when she left your little talk. She wanted you to tell me why?" She laid her head on his chest as he put his right arm around her.

"She told me she was sorry Joseph shot me." Samantha reached up and grabbed his hand. "Then she asked me to be her daddy. She said she never had a daddy and she wanted me to be hers since I already do the things that daddies do." Samantha felt tears filling her eyes.

"What did you say?"

"I told her I would love to." He lifted her chin and kissed her. He looked into her tear filled eyes. "And I meant it sweetheart. Her sweet proposal totally ripped my guts out. I want to be her dad. Give her the things Joseph never did. He treated her like property Sam. He wanted her to be his slave."

"I really know you will be. What did she want to ask your dad?"

"To be her grandpa." Gibbs chuckled. "Wanted my permission to ask him."

"We have a special little girl there."

"Don't I know it?" Samantha smiled kissing him again. "You need some rest."

"You too." Gibbs pulled her close and she snuggled into his side. The two were totally exhausted and felt contentment in their live and their new daughter.