The next day after school Jethro rode his bike down to Earl's Hardware Store. Jenny had returned to school thanks to a note allowing her to be excused to the bathroom anytime she needed and some ginger from Jack to help ease the nausea. Tony had gone home sick so Jenny walked Abby and Tim home. The kids were curious about why Jethro wasn't walking home with them. He typically went straight home and to the wood shop after school. Unless he had baseball practice but mandatory practice didn't start until the second semester. He simply told them that he had started a new project and needed to pick some stuff up from the hardware store. Jenny and him had decided to put off breaking the news until Darla got home back from Philadelphia. Her dad had undergone heart surgery there. He had come through well and Darla was expected to be home within the next couple of days. Jethro parked his bike outside the hardware store and walked inside.
"Good afternoon Jethro Gibbs. What brings you here today?" Earl greeted.
"My dad said you were looking for help." Jethro replied.
"I am but are you sure you can handle balancing a job with your studies?" Earl asked.
"I don't really have a choice I need a job." Jethro replied.
"Jack's not sick is he?" Earl asked.
"He's fine but I got Jenny pregnant." Jethro replied.
"Really?" Earl asked.
"Yes sir." Jethro replied.
"Well as long as you are going to take care of the girl and the kid I don't have anything to say." Earl explained.
"I am planning on marrying Jenny. I always have been." Jethro replied smiling.
"That's my boy." Earl replied.
"So do I have the job?" Jethro asked.
"Of course you do son you can work afternoons and weekends. Mr. Harrison is working for part-time employment as well but he has dialysis in the afternoons and spends his weekends volunteering at the church. I had full-time help for thirty years with old Joe but I always figured when he left it would take at least two to fill the void. No offense to my favorite little customer." Earl explained.
"I'm six feet tall now." Gibbs grumbled.
"I know but to me you'll be the toddler Jack brought into the store for the first time. I had gotten distracted by a customer and accidentally left some tools down on the floor. You went right up to them. Nearly gave old Joe his second heart attack. He was sure you were going to hurt yourself but you didn't. You just picked them up and started hammering in a loose nail on my floor." Earl explained.
"I thought sure my dad would have brought me in from the day I left the hospital." Gibbs replied.
"Your mom and dad only came back to Stillwater just shy of your second birthday." Earl explained.
"Oh yeah I forgot my parents stayed near Pendleton a few years after my dad was discharged from the Air Force." Jethro replied.
"How does an Air Force man like your father feel about his oldest boy joining the Marines?" Earl inquired.
"I'm not going into the Marines anymore." Jethro sighed.
"Why not?" Earl asked.
"My dad won't let me cause of the baby." Jethro sighed.
"Understandable you don't want to miss your kid growing up. I did now I would give anything to have those months back with my girl." Earl explained.
"I didn't know you had a daughter. Why doesn't she ever come to town?" Jethro asked.
"She's dead Jethro. She drowned in the river when she was ten years old. Nearly twenty-five years ago long before you were born." Earl explained.
"I'm sorry." Jethro apologized.
"Don't apologize. Just treasure every moment you get with your little one." Earl replied.
"I will." Jethro replied.
"It's getting late. You should get home." Earl replied.
"I will sir and thanks for getting me the job." Jethro replied.
Jethro found Jenny waiting for him in the basement. She was stretched out across his bed thumbing through one of his Marine brochures. When she saw him she quickly shoved the brochure back under the mattress. Where she had found it.
"Is my baby girl thinking of joining the Marines?" Jethro asked.
"No!" Jenny cried.
"Ouch" Jethro replied.
"No offense I just never saw myself as a military person." Jenny replied.
"You are too much of a free spirit but why were you reading that brochure?" Jethro asked.
"I was bored and there was nothing else to read." Jenny explained.
"Well I am sorry that I am not a brainy bookworm like you." Jethro apologized.
"Ugh it's OK." Jenny sighed.
"Timmy and Abby have pretty high reading levels. They may have something." Jethro offered.
"I do not want to read science fiction or stories about vampires dating humans. Besides we need to talk about the baby." Jenny replied.
"I thought we covered everything with my dad last night." Jethro replied.
"Not even close Leroy Jethro!" Jenny cried.
"Well what's left?" Jethro asked.
"What are we going to do about school?" Jenny questioned.
"When are you due?" Jethro asked.
"May 3rd." Jenny replied.
"That's about a month shy of graduation. You can keep going as long as you need then finish up online. I am sure that Darla could watch the baby while I am in school and you are studying." Jethro suggested.
"OK but what about college?" Jenny asked.
"Online classes?" Jethro asked.
"Are you sure? I mean I can get my RN online pretty easy and take a job at the clinic but can an online criminology degree get you a job at NCIS?" Jenny asked.
"I think so." Jethro replied.
"What about work?" Jenny asked.
"I got that job at the hardware store. Did you go down to the diner?" Jethro asked.
"Not yet." Jenny admitted.
"You need to apply right away. Before it's filled." Jethro replied.
"Let's walk down there." Jenny replied.
"We have to wait until my dad gets home. Tony was pretty sick and somebody needs to watch over Timmy and Abby." Jethro explained.
"Well then let's keep talking." Jenny replied.
"What else is there?" Jethro asked.
"Are you serious?!" Jenny gasped.
"Uh yeah." Jethro replied.
"How about the big one?" Jenny asked.
"Why thank you I always thought it was average." Jethro replied.
"Jethro!" Jenny hissed.
"Aw come on you gave me the perfect opportunity! Seriously though what is the big one?" Jethro asked.
"When the time comes do you want to find out the sex?" Jenny asked.
"My parents waited with Abby and I but whatever you want." Jethro replied.
"I kind of want it to be a surprise." Jenny grinned.
"Our fun little surprise." Jethro replied.
"One more big thing." Jenny said.
"What?" Jethro asked.
"Are we ready for this?" Jenny asked.
"Don't worry we have time and support." Jethro assured.
A/N: I will post a poll regarding baby names later in the story. If you have any suggestions you can comment them. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.