OD6
Chapter twenty-three
Climbing into bed, it was close to 0400 and Gibbs sent Vance a message telling him to take their team out of rotation and get Ziva and Tony started on cold cases. That he and Tim have been at the hospital all night. Gibbs was planning on going into the office for a little while, after he got some sleep. By the time, he had managed to get Kelly inside, upstairs and into bed, Shannon had still been struggling with Tim. Tim had been particularly stubborn about everything, up to and including this point. About going back to the house, about Shannon driving his beloved car, about sleeping upstairs, telling her that he could and should sleep on the sofa. He hadn't wanted to go to sleep, reminding Shannon that he had to be at work in three hours and that if he went to sleep, he would be groggy for the whole day.
"Go to sleep, Tim." Gibbs had told him in his best parental voice from the guest room doorway. "You're not going back into the office, or on duty; until you have slept and are well rested, and Ducky gives you a clearance from that concussion that you're in denial about having. Now get into bed and go to sleep."
Shannon sent Tim a smirk, as she closed the door behind her. Following her husband into their bedroom, she was surprised when her husband took her into his embrace without warning. "What a night, hey?!" He exclaimed softly in her ear. "It could have ended a lot worse."
"Jethro, Kelly is ok." Shannon reassured him, as she held him close to her and ran her fingers through his marine styled, salt and pepper hair. "The hairline fracture in her wrist will heal and the bump on the head will fade over time. Every kid breaks a bone at some point, we should be thankful that in happened now and not as a child. If her complaining annoys us now, we can jokingly send her home." She laughed, trying to relax her husband enough to sleep. She knew him well enough to know, that there was something else on his mind.
"What about Tim?" Jethro asked, pulling back to look his wife in her eyes. "I've never told anyone before, but I have begun to suspect that his family situation isn't as great as it seems to be. Sure, he is well-adjusted, polite and mannered, but there is just something about it. It bugs me. The other day in the bullpen, Ziva and Tony were discussing their fathers' birthdays and Tim told a story about how he had made his father a birthday card, used glitter and coloured paper, the works. He said his father took one look at it and told Tim he could do better and handed it back to him. What kind of man treats his son that way, Shan? If that's the way that Admiral McGee treated him a child, I don't want to know how he treats Tim, as an adult. The worst of it was, he didn't see what the big deal was, when his coworkers were shocked. He just said, 'That's the way the Admiral is.' My heart, plummeted, and my feet were like lead, glued to the spot. I was shocked, Shan."
"That's just it, Jethro. He is an adult, now." Shannon reminded him delicately, as they crawled back into bed and switched off the lampshade. "He is an adult now, capable of standing up for himself. Sure, it might not have been great. But he can look back on it with adult eyes and realise that it was his father's flaw and had nothing to do with him."
"Is he really an adult, Shan? Age wise, yes. Mature? Most definitely." Gibbs asked his wife, rhetorically. "He was living with his maternal grandmother by age twelve. When she died, he was fourteen and went to live with his paternal grandmother. By the age of fifteen, he was legally and financially emancipated, living on the opposite side of the country and in college. He may be an adult, physically and emotionally. I don't think he has never been allowed to be a kid. Getting him to relax and let someone else take care of him, it's like pulling teeth out without anesthesia. It is painful. He doesn't know how to let someone care for him."
"That's awful, Jethro." Shannon whispered into their bedroom, as the first rays of the morning light began to appear through the gap between the blind and the curtain. "I would never have guessed."
"That's why I pushed for Tim to help Kelly out." Gibbs admitted with a sly grin to his wife. "As much as he is helping Kelly navigate the world of meeting and dating men, and being her friend, someone away from her job. She is doing that for him, too. Teaching him to let go and live a little. Not to be so focused on perfection and being afraid of disappointing someone. Teaching him that is ok to have a life, away from the job. That it's ok to have friends away from the job. I think they'll be good friends."
"You softy." She teased him as she kissed his lips. Grinning against his wife's lips, he rolled her over and climbed on top of her, kissing her thoroughly. It had been a while since he had been able to lie in bed in the morning with Shannon and enjoy kissing her, without having to rush off for a case, or because they were expecting someone or had somewhere to go. Just to be together.
Chapter twenty-four
Gibbs made it the bullpen closer to lunchtime than mid-morning and Tony was immediately interrogating him, as soon as he stepped off the elevator. "Where's McGee? Is he ok?" Tony asked. "Vance didn't say much, but McGee actually called you because he needed help. I'm surprised he didn't call me." Gibbs looked at his senior field agent closely, he couldn't decide whether or not Tony was being genuine or if he was looking for canon to add to the fodder. "Just because I live closer to him than you. Not because ... I'll shut up now."
"He will be ok." Gibbs answered, giving Tony a glare and a pointed look towards his desk. "But you won't be if you don't sit back down and work on that cold case in front of you. I have to go upstairs and see Vance. You best get some work done because if I return and you're still slacking off, you'll be looking at a pink slip, DiNozzo."
Climbing the stairs, taking them two at a time, as he usually did, Gibbs made his way to the Director's office. He had received the terse reply via text message from Vance informing him that he was to report to his office, upon his arrival. Gibbs arrival at his desk had reminded him when he had also seen the post it notes from Leon Vance's PA, reminding the MCRT team leader of his appointment.
"Come on in, Gibbs." Leon Vance called out from where he was working at his desk. Gibbs arrival had been timed perfectly. The head honcho of the agency was in desperate need of a distraction from his task and Gibbs explaining the cryptic text message that had woken him up, not long before his alarm, was the perfect distraction. "Hospital? What the hell on earth happened?"
"With Tim, I am not sure." Gibbs lied, not wanting to spill the man's secret about slipping the bathroom. "Kelly was in a MVA leaving Tim's house last night. Tim got the call from the hospital that she had been injured, and he had raced to the hospital, notifying us once he knew what was happening. Seeing Tim was also concussed when we arrived, Shannon insisted we take them both home and Shannon has taken the day off work to care for them both. McGee put up a challenging fight, but eventually relented."
Chucking, Leon Vance had then smirked at his subordinate. "Is Agent McGee, ok?" That had not been the question he had wanted to ask, and they both knew it. "It must have been quite dire circumstances if he eventually relented. I hear he is quite stubborn."
Gibbs smirked at Leon. He didn't know that half of how stubborn he really was. "My wife can be persistent. Sometimes, I think we could use her in interrogation." Gibbs joked, grinning at his boss. "The answer to the question you really ask is, why was my daughter at McGee's house? The answer is, I don't know why my daughter was at McGee's house, but I believe they are friends. Or at least, that is what my wife told me. I asked Kelly and she gave me the same answer."
"So as a father, there isn't anything suspicious about a man and woman, alone, indoors on a sunny Saturday afternoon. A couple of young kids, hot blooded kids, in the prime of their lives'?" Leon smirked at him. He had to admit, this was a cruel act. But he had been able to tell that Jethro Gibbs was lying through his teeth about knowing why his daughter and his youngest agent were together. He had also been able to tell that Jethro Gibbs had been lying about how McGee had gotten injured. But he had to hand it to the man, that rule seven of his was effective; always be specific when you lie. "Nothing at all?"
Gibbs wasn't an idiot; he knew he had been caught out lying. But he had told his story and he was sticking to it. "What can I say, Leon? Men and women can just be friends."
"A-ha, I see." Leon mumbled, studying the MCRT team leader carefully. He knew that Gibbs had a background in deep undercover assignments, so he knew the man was capable of lying effectively. "That's your story and you're sticking to it? I am not sure if Agent DiNozzo will buy it, but it is good enough for me."
Chapter twenty-five
When Tim woke, he realised where he was and had a momentary panic. Until he remembered Gibbs' threatening words to him. Instead, he opened up the email app on his phone. It had been two days since he had read the FoxyDuchess' email and he was yet to reply. Rereading her email, he immediately hit reply.
Dear Duchess,
Honesty and integrity are a big part of who I am. So is an apology and I apologise for the delay in my reply. As stupid as it sounds, I have been unwell after I hit my head. After two days of rest, I am beginning to feel better. Honestly, I do not recommend a concussion.
I will write more soon when I can think clearly. You wrote to me that you worry, and I did not want you to worry about me.
Tiger
Tim sent the email and sighed. The email had been lame, and nowhere near his usual quality. Tossing his phone back on the bedside table to preserve the battery, he closed his eyes tightly. Rubbing at them, Tim sighed. He was unsure if he should stay in his room or venture out and see if the coast was clear enough to make his escape. Quietly and stealthily, he padded out of bed, down the stairs and he was met by the sight of Kelly on the sofa and Shannon working on her Chromebook working on her lap.
"Good morning, Tim." Shannon smiled at him, warmly. "Can I get you some breakfast? Or just some coffee. Here, sit down. We don't bite."
Shannon moved her chrome book and ushered Tim into her seat, before handing him a mug full of hot coffee. "Just coffee is fine. I am not a big breakfast eater." Tim answered her, with a smile, as he thanked her for the coffee.
Every time Tim thought about moving, Shannon chastised him, as she did Kelly. Sitting on the sofa, relaxing and not doing anything got very boring, very quickly and it soon became tiresome. When Gibbs arrived back at his home, earlier than usual, he did have a momentary chuckle at the comical sight that presented itself. Tim was propped up against a cushion and a pillow he recognised as the one that lived in the hall closet, was tucked under his head. He was sound asleep, sitting almost straight up. Kelly had made herself at home inside Tim's personal space. She was using his shoulder and chest as a pillow and Tim held her in place with a protective arm around her.
Shannon greeted him with a finger to her lips and a kiss to his. Gibbs pulled out his phone and opened the camera and showed his wife. She shook her head no, before grinning at him and waving her own phone in her hand, at her husband. "You are sneaky." He grinned at his wife and kissed her hairline. "I love it."
Chapter Twenty-six
Shannon and Gibbs reluctantly let Tim go home later that night, after dinner. Shannon had insisted that he stay, so she could have the peace of mind that Tim was eating healthy. Gibbs had wanted to retort something in reply, but one look at his wife's face and he immediately shut his mouth. He might like Tim and respect him. He might even envy his intelligence and computer skills. But Timothy McGee was not worth an argument with his wife that he knew would result in him, having to sleep on the sofa. Or worse, in the bed that Tim had just vacated.
But they kept Kelly in their care, for a while longer because of her fractured wrist. Gibbs offered to drive Tim home, despite his insistence that he could just take a cab. After what had happened to Kelly, the thought didn't sit well with Jethro, a fact that he admitted to Tim.
Despite, Tim's relentlessly insisting that he was ok to make it up the stairs, Gibbs escorted him up the four-floor walkup and into the apartment. "Now, I don't want to see you in the office tomorrow, either. Ducky will be in contact to arrange a time to come by and check you out." Gibbs sternly told his agent. Out of all his agents, Tim was the youngest, but the most stubborn of the trio. Gibbs put that down to his militant father, before he learnt how Tim's formative years had unfolded. Now he put that down to Tim feeling like he needed to be in survival mode, all the time. "Ducky's word is the law, have you got that?"
"Yes, Boss." Tim answered. He had wanted to grumble, whine and complain about it. He had wanted to remind Gibbs that he had worked, in worse shape than this before. But he supposed that this was Gibbs' way of making him know that he was cared for, too. Even though Tim wasn't stupid, he knew that Gibbs was simply following his wife's orders. Before his injury, it had been a comical thought if you pondered it, that Gibbs gave in to his wife so frequently. But Tim had now experienced it firsthand, and it wasn't so funny anymore. Her persistence was scary, and Tim smothered the thought that she could be an asset in the squad room.
Before Gibbs left, he pottered around a little while longer. He had insisted that if Tim needed a shower, he would wait until that task was safely done, just in case he fell again. Gibbs had of course, delivered that line with a smirk and Tim had facepalmed his hand in his head and muttered how he was never going to live this down. While Tim was in the shower, Gibbs did a DiNozzo, only sneakily and more respectfully. He looked in the pantry and fridge, making sure that Tim didn't have to leave the apartment to get food. He wanted Tim taking it easy. They needed him and his brain, intact. But the fridge and the pantry, that was the end of his snooping. Gibbs respected Tim's privacy too much to do a Tony.
Gibbs wouldn't say they were full, but compared to DiNozzo's, it was a palace. He was sure that Tim would get by with what he had. He made Tim a pot of coffee, because he was sure that the man would be eager for a cup. Shannon had been strictly enforcing a no caffeine rule. But Gibbs knew from personal experience that when it came to coffee, Tim was more like him than anyone else he knew, and a withdrawal on his body would make his recovery a lot harder than it needed to be.
With Gibbs finally taking his leave, Tim let out a sigh. He finally felt like he could relax. Rather than watch TV on the sofa, Tim moved it back onto the small cabinet in the bedroom where it usually sat. Tim had moved it when he and Kelly had gotten back to the apartment over the weekend, as he didn't want Kelly in his bedroom. Tim wasn't like DiNozzo, who had two TV's and would insist that the living room tv didn't work, just to get girls into his room. Tim was a gentleman.
With that small task done and the TV successfully hooked up, Tim did something he rarely indulged in. He scoured his basic cable package looking for something to watch. Not finding anything and too lazy to hook the laptop up to stream some movies, Tim settled for ZNN news coverage and switched his laptop on.
He was surprised that the Foxy Duchess had replied. He was sure that he had blown it when he had taken so long to reply to her last time.
Dear Tiger,
I think it is safe to say that the two of us, are as bad as one another too. In addition to a concussion, I also broke my wrist, so I type this as a hunt and peck. I have no idea how I am going to do my job.
On the plus side, my parents are being awfully considerate and letting me stay here with them. I miss my space and my apartment, but it is nice to feel loved. My mom's love language is care, technically it's Acts of Service. She is a pamperer. She likes to cook and take care of her loved ones.
Dad's love language is quality time. Dad is making it no secret that I should hang around here longer. He has never been a fan of me living away from home. He has been reveling in the fact that I have been around more. Even with my limited mobility to help, he has been finding all sorts of small, odd jobs that I can help him with so that we can spend time together.
Not that I know a lot about love languages. I must admit, I am hopeless in the world of romance and love. Isn't that why we met on a dating site?
Sorry, I know your relationship with your father isn't great and I in no way meant to rub your nose in the fact that I have two kind, caring parents. Well, I will eagerly await your reply. There isn't a lot else to do with a broken wrist.
Your Duchess.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Tim had broken a wrist before. He could sympathize with her. The frustration of having to hunt and peck. It was not fun. He felt for his online friend. He briefly wondered if his online friend was Kelly Gibbs. He thought carefully and calculated the odds of two women, both suffering a fractured wrist and a concussion at the exact same time. He decided that the odds were too great and put his stray thought down to wishful thinking.
Dear Duchess,
It's ok to talk about your parents with me. They sound great. I am happy that you don't have the same nasty, dysfunctional relationship with your parents, that I have with my father. Do I wish things were different? Yes. But I do not begrudge my friend's happiness.
It is a common misconception that people who meet on dating sites are hopeless at love and romance. I am sure you're not as bad as you think you are. People like you and me, we're not bad at love or reading people, we are bad at meeting people. Well, in my case, the wrong sort of women.
I am sure that you know the five love languages are:
1. Words of affirmation is the first love language. It's all about expressing affection and appreciation through words, be it spoken, written, in texts, or all of the above. This may be one of your love languages if you thrive on being told that you're appreciated, hearing "I love you" often or receiving words of encouragement. The key to using words of affirmation is to be your authentic self and express them often. If you have trouble expressing yourself out loud, write a note or send a text. What matters is that you acknowledge them through words. For a partner, it could mean telling them you love them more often or checking in throughout the day to tell them you're thinking of them. For a friend, words of affirmation could mean a text to say, "You'll be great!" before a job interview or complimenting them on their outfit.
2. Quality time is the second love language and it's precisely what you think: appreciating spending quality time together. A person whose love language is quality time may feel most loved and appreciated when people they care about make time to be together and give their undivided attention. Quality time may be one of your love languages if you feel disconnected when you don't spend enough time with a partner. Not spending enough time with your partner affects your libido. Or you work hard at making time to spend with others. Quality time looks different to everyone. Some people value a few minutes of dedicated time to just sit and relax together at the end of the day. For others, quality time means setting aside time to enjoy activities together. No matter what you're doing, quality time requires being completely present and free of distractions.
3. Physical touch is the third love language. Let's be clear that this is appropriate, consensual physical touch, which looks different depending on the situation and the type of relationship you have with the person. For people whose love language is physical touch, expressing and receiving love through physical contact is important. Touch is the way they connect and feel connected with others. Physical contact might be your love language if you feel lonely or disconnected when you don't get physical affection from your partner. You feel especially loved when a partner randomly kisses you or holds you, or if you consider yourself a "touchy-feely" person and enjoy PDA. Obviously, the way you can and should touch others really comes down to the relationship you share. Expressing affection through physical touch can happen through small physical gestures, like a hug or snuggling. If appropriate, it can also involve more intimate contact like kissing, and yes, sexual activities. Don't forget that consent from your partner is a must.
4. Acts of service is the fourth love language, and this one will resonate if you believe with your heart of hearts that actions always speak louder than words. By actions, this means doing selfless, thoughtful things for the other person. Remember that these don't need to be romantic in nature; friends and family relationships can benefit from these acts, too. These are some signs that acts of service may be your love language. You're over the moon when a partner helps you with a chore without having to be asked. You're the person who shows up for a friend having a bad day. You're always ready to jump in and do things for the people you care about. Acts of service aren't about grand gestures, but rather thoughtful gestures that serve them, like pouring them a coffee in the morning, or running an errand for your busy friend or loved one.
5. Receiving gifts is the final love language. It needs to be said that this love language is not reserved for the greedy or so-called "gold diggers." For someone whose love language is gifts, it goes way beyond just wanting stuff. For this person, it's all about the meaning behind the gift and the thought that went into it. No diamonds or luxury cars are required. Signs that receiving gifts is your love language: When it comes to gift-giving, you put in the time to choose the most thoughtful gift. You treasure everything a partner gives you, no matter how small. You're hurt when someone you love doesn't commemorate an event with a thoughtful token. Showing love through gifts isn't about extravagance. A small memento will be just as appreciated because big or small, a gift is a tangible reminder that they were thought of and are loved.
The five love languages provide a great framework for understanding your relationship and others in your sphere, but they don't necessarily represent exactly how everyone wants to give and show love. Chances are that you resonate strongly with more than one of the love languages and your partner and other loved ones do, too. Gender and cultural norms have also shifted quite a bit since the love languages were first introduced, and how we express love and how we want to be loved has shifted right alongside. While we all have our own ways of expressing love, they don't necessarily fit neatly into one of the five presets laid out in a time when women were historically more likely to serve, and men were better equipped — financially speaking — to give gifts.
The bottom line is everyone has a different way of communicating their love. While you shouldn't take it as gospel, the love languages could be a helpful starting point on your way to understanding each other better.
See, you probably knew all this too. Women learn this stuff long before men do. It usually takes a bad break-up or an epiphany for a man to learn this stuff. We go into the real world and embark on a relationship, totally clueless. But this is the kind of things they should teach kids in social studies. There would be a heap less confusion in the world if this was taught at school as part of a standard curriculum. It would erase the "it's complicated" line from our social scene completely.
Of course, love languages don't just apply to couples. It can be applied to any relationship you have; parental, friendship, familial. It still works. That being said, the physical touch component changes greatly in the love language if you are referring to love languages in a non-sexual relationship.
Tiger.
PS Want to get your wrist better faster? Elevate your wrist on a pillow or the back of a chair above the level of your heart for the first few days. This will ease pain and swelling. Ice the wrist. Do this for 15-20 minutes every two to three hours for two to three days. Be careful to keep the splint or cast dry while icing.
