MTF 14
With all of the injured parties all back in DC, as well as Tobias Fornell and the FBI providing security for the four of them, the emergency department of Georgetown University Hospital was a hustle and bustle of activity. Kelly had been rushed straight from the ambulance to the imaging department, to scan her ankle and her foot. Gibbs had been greeted by Doctor John Hamilton, Ducky's neurologist friend who helped care for Tim after Ziva and Hadassar's attack on Tim. Tim had been taken to the burns unit and Tobias was being treated for exhaustion and checked over by a doctor, just as a precaution.
Sarah Porter sank down in the chair beside her ex-husband turned lover and sighed. "When all this crap is over and my position is up, can we go away together? Use that voucher that Tim and Kelly gave us for Christmas?" She asked, looking him over. His blue eyes sparkling when he looked at her. "I feel like life has been a crazy rollercoaster ride since we got Tim back. Not that I would give him up for a chance to return to our old life."
"I believe that Tim and Kelly offered to watch the girls, too." He grinned at his former wife. "But it is probably fair to let Tim and Kelly finish their vacation since we interrupted them. I got the impression from Tim that they had made up and were making up."
Sarah smiled at Tobias. "You big old softy," she said. She leaned over and kissed him. Sarah always knew that Tobias was a softie, and she liked to tease him about it. "Letting your son have his time away first. Being your son's wingman."
"You know what? I am so proud of our son, the way he held it together in that tunnel. He had to have been terrified in that tunnel. It would have brought back a lot of memories for him, and he pushed through the pain and the mental trauma. I don't think he will be entering a confined space again, anytime soon though." Tobias said proudly, his eyes beaming and smiling widely. Tobias felt so proud; his pride seemed to be radiating from within him. "I wasn't there, you know? When it happened. Gibbs called me, looking for intel. Wanting my help to get access to the scene, I was away working on another case. Since the moment I found out that Tim was our son, it has haunted me that I wasn't here, and I was unable to help when he needed my help the most. I went straight from that case to seeing you and Tim in New Orleans. When I saw you walk into the NCIS New Orleans HQ, flanked by Tim, my heart skipped a beat. I saw a resemblance for a fleeting moment, but I convinced myself I imagined it. I covered it up by introducing myself to you. I had been staring and I didn't want anyone getting suspicious. That night, it was also the first time I had a beer with my son, I just didn't know he was my son at the time. I think I may have even given him dating advice about Kelly."
"That is ironic." Sarah told him, remembering that day too and everything that she had told him that day. "I told him about my marriage to you and to Richard. Admittedly, I mixed it into one marriage, but the facts were all there. I gave him advice too."
"What do you honestly think, Sare?" Tobias winked at her as a nurse came in to take his blood pressure. As soon as the nurse was gone again, he raised his eyebrows at Sarah, waiting impatiently for her to answer.
She said, "I think you and Gibbs better start saving." As she leaned over and kissed him, the doctor came in. "I think your son might be coming to you really soon, looking for advice on making more permanent plans in his life."
"I think you might be right," Tobias said to Sarah. Although Tobias had been making plans of his own. Plans to ask Sarah to be his wife again. "It's ironic, isn't it?" he continued. "When Tim and Kelly first started dating, Jethro and I stayed up late one night discussing Tim and Kelly and how expensive weddings are these days. I was teasing him, feeling pretty cocky that I was a long way off having to pay for my child's wedding."
"Karma can be quite harsh, Tobias."
With Tobias getting a clean bill of health and being discharged, he immediately went about getting an update on Gibbs, knowing that Gibbs had him listed as an emergency contact. He knew that Tim had Ducky and possibly Kelly. But Sarah was planning on attempting to use her political influence to see if she could get a general update on the condition of Tim and Kelly, on Jethro's behalf. But she knew that it would be a lost cause. She could try for Tim, wondering if the hospital staff would remember her as Tim's mom. So, they set out to divide and conquer.
Tobias had a better idea. When Tim had been injured in Ziva and Hadassar's attack and subsequent kidnapping, they had spent a lot of time with Dr John Hamilton, Ducky's neurologist friend. The same doctor that just happened to be in charge of Gibbs' care, now. "How is Jethro doing, John?" Tobias asked, catching him as he came out of another patient's room. He had been a hard man to track down, but Tobias had found him.
John said as he closed his clipboard and tucked it under his arm. Then, he led Tobias into a small meeting room. "Jethro has had an MRI scan and a CT on his back," John continued. "He has two slipped discs, one between the L2 and L3, and one between the L5 and the S1. At the moment, they appear to be healing with rest and some gentle exercises. However, I am more concerned about his flippant attitude. He has been giving his nurses a hard time. He even glared at one of them when she kindly explained that he would need to have a sponge bath, since a shower would be too strenuous for his back."
I have known Jethro Gibbs for a long time, John. He is never cooperative." Tobias grinned at the neurologist. "But if you're in a jam or in the fight of your life, he's the guy you would want to watch your back. Him and my son."
"Speaking of Tim, I am headed that way to get an update for Ducky. Would you like to join me too?" John grinned at him. He could see the relief on Tobias' face. "Even as a parent to fully grown children, you never stop worrying about them. I can't imagine how you and Sarah must feel with Tim. To have missed out on all that time, thinking that you had lost him forever, only to find out years later, he had been stolen from you. Then for Tim to have everything else happen to him on top of that."
Tobias understood where John was coming from; sometimes he could scarcely believe that they had miraculously found Tim again, or rather, that Tim had found them. He certainly couldn't wait until Sarah's enlistment in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps was over. He would be shouting it from the rooftops. Tim was his son. He was also planning, with Tim, Megan, and Emily's help, to ask Sarah to marry him again. This time, they were older and wiser. They knew what it took to make a marriage work...and were past the point of unplanned pregnancies.
"Of course, I would." He beamed at John. "That's the downside to having adult children. You get to be a spectator now. In Tim's case, I don't even know who his emergency contact is that is listed. I assume it's Kelly or Gibbs, maybe Ducky."
"Well, that's a decision for him. But I can get you in to see him while I get the update from Ducky." John grinned at him, as they turned in to the burns ward.
Tobias was expecting to see Tim laid up in bed, hooked up to machines, being monitored. What he wasn't expecting was to see his son, sitting in a recliner, having his right hand dressed and bandaged by a doctor and a nurse. "Hey, kiddo," Tobias said, grinning at his son. He was certainly surprised. He had thought the burns had looked bad. Obviously, they weren't as bad as he had thought. "How's the hand?"
The burns specialist looked up at the man who had come in with his colleague John and smiled. "Your boy's been a really good boy, Pops. He's only sworn once." Which caused everyone to chuckle. "The burns are superficial, which is the best outcome you could ask for. We'll keep a close eye on them, keep them dressed and hopefully, we will see some improvements soon."
Tobias felt the relief leave his body. He had been sure that the burns would be catastrophic. Or worse; that they would end his career as a field agent. But it wasn't like Tim didn't have a career to fall back on. He could work CCU, write, or get a job with any single one of his degrees. "That's good news." Tobias grinned at his son.
Tim asked, looking at his father as the final dressing went on the palm of his hand and the nurse began wrapping the hand in a bandage. "Dad, how's Kelly? No one has told me anything, and I am getting worried. Her foot looked bad."
"Relax, Tim. You just focus on you." John Hamilton reminded Tim. "The orthopedics is our next stop, and I will make sure to come back and give you a full report. Her father was asking for one too."
"I'll go with John and find out." Tobias reassured his son, taking a final look at him, before he took his leave. Every time he looked at Tim, he tried to commit the image to his memory bank, trying to fill in the large gaps in there.
Gibbs was finally relieved to be getting discharged. They had organised for him to do PT and some external rehab, as an outpatient. It wasn't the first time he had slipped these two discs, but he was relieved that John had decided against admitting him. He wanted to check in with Leon, away from Tim's prying eyes and get a status update on the case.
As he slipped his jeans back on, over his shorts gingerly, He snagged his cell phone off the bedside locker and hit speed dial four, for Director Vance's personal cell phone line. Getting frustrated at the lack of an answer, he had snatched his discharge papers up of the table and went to find where his daughter was.
Finally navigating the labyrinth hallways, he found himself at the orthopedics waiting room. Seeing their FBI shadows, Sarah, Tobias and Tim soothed his heart slightly. He had been surprised to see Tim, although he had to admit, that his senior field agent was looking a little worse for wear.
Sarah resting against Tobias, as Sarah held her son close to her. The stress on Tim's face was plain to see. He was worried. "Any news?" He asked and he was almost surprised when Tim jumped up and hugged him gently.
"You're, ok?" He asked his boss with a grin. Gibbs could see the bandage that adorned Tim's hand and he wondered how bad the injury was underneath the dressing. Would he ever hold a gun?
"I'm good." He beamed at the man. He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he remembered how far the man before him had come. From a shy and green little probie, unsure of his way in the world to his senior field agent and right-hand man. The love of his daughter's life. The man he held little doubt would one day become his son in law.
"It's going to be at least another hour until she's in recovery Jethro." Tobias griped, keeping his eyes closed as he tried to catch some sleep. It had been a high octane sixty odd hours, or so and he was beginning to feel it.
The surgeon was shaking him awake. Gibbs could tell by the look in his eyes that he was exhausted too; it was clear that the adrenaline had worn off on everyone and everyone was exhausted. "Kelly came through the procedure with flying colors, Tim. They have just moved her to recovery. As soon as she is settled on the ward, the nurse will come and speak with you."
"Thank you," Tim managed to get out. His voice was thick with emotion, mostly relief that she had made it through. Tim deliberately hadn't asked about her prognosis; he didn't think he had the mental strength to hear anything right now. If he had tried, he would have failed.
"If I get you two minutes with her now, can I trust that you will all go home and get some decent rest?" The doctor asked in a jesting manner, though truth be told, he was quite concerned about the haggard-looking bunch camped out in the waiting room.
"Please." Tim begged and Gibbs grinned at the doctor.
"Just you and her father." The doctor confirmed, making a questioning gesture towards Tobias and Gibbs. As if he was asking which one of them was Kelly's father?
"That's me." Gibbs said, as he stood up. He was finally relieved that they were going to finally get to see her. He had been unable to sit still with worry. He was wondering how Tim had managed it.
The doctor indicated that they should follow him. Going into the recovery room was a surreal experience for Gibbs. The only time Gibbs had ever been in a recovery room was when he had been the patient, recovering from surgery. He was unprepared for the sight of his daughter, laying in the bed, loopy, drowsy and nauseated from the anesthetic. He kept half a step behind Tim and was surprised at how smoothly Tim handled it. He simply went straight to Kelly, kissing her lips briefly with a murmured greeting that was only meant for her ears.
Tim stood aside and gave Gibbs an encouraging smile; as he did so, Kelly gave him a weak smile too. "It's okay, Dad," she said. "I am okay." With that, she reached for his hand. Both Tim and Kelly could tell that Gibbs was a bit unsettled.
The surgeon came in and gave Tim and Gibbs a quick rundown on what he had done. It seemed that, in addition to the broken metatarsal bone in her foot, she also had a severe strain of her Achilles tendon in her foot. The surgeon had gone in and tightened it up too. Overall, she would be on crutches for six to eight weeks and would require extensive physical therapy and rehabilitation, as she began walking again.
It was another three days before Kelly was allowed to leave the hospital and, in that time, Tim had been sequestered in an FBI safe house and unable to visit her. He was missing her like crazy, but he had come to a decision. As soon as this mess was over, he was going to pay the jeweler a visit. The one who did that exquisite work on her Christmas present. Talk to him about designing an engagement ring. Tim felt it was the right time, he was almost positive that he was going to ask Kelly to marry him. He didn't know when or how, or what the ring would be like, but he knew one thing for sure, he was almost ready to ask Kelly to be his wife. There was just one thing he wanted to do first, talk to Dr. Cranston. He needed to be positive, what he wanted to do, was the right thing.
The morning that Kelly was due to join him in the safe house, his mind was racing. He had been working on his latest novel, a standalone thriller about a small-town boy, leaving for the city and he witnesses a murder. He was almost three hours into his morning session when he heard Gibbs' voice from the foyer. "I've got a surprise for you."
As Tim came into the room from the kitchen area, where he had been working under the watchful eyes of the two FBI agents that were on duty in the house, he was surprised. The people who were standing with Gibbs were definitely not who Tim had been expecting. "What are you doing here?" Tim asked in a tone of voice that Gibbs had never heard Tim use before and definitely not one that Tim normally used with Tony DiNozzo.
"Nice to see you too, Tim." Tony quipped, while Tali squirmed to get down out of her father's arms to run to her uncle Tim. "I think it's about time we talked, don't you?"
"Uncle Tim! Uncle Tim." Tali called out, as she finally broke free and made a beeline towards Tim. Tim had braced himself, he was prepared for the little brown-haired bullet to head straight for him.
"Hey, hey! Not so fast there, little one." Gibbs warned Tali, as he moved between Tim and the little pocket rocket to intercept. "Remember what I told you and Daddy about Uncle Tim?"
"Uncle Tim has sore hands from fire." Tali repeated and moved of Gibbs' arms and towards Tim at a more leisurely pace. "Are you ok, Uncle Tim? When Saba told us about your hands, me and daddy was really worried."
"I am ok, Tali." Tim said, as he gingerly helped Tali up onto his lap and immediately accepted the hug that Tali was offering. He held the little girl close to him. She may look like a younger version of the woman he once loved like a sister, but she was beginning to look less like her and more like her father. The man who was once closer to him than his own kin, even if the man did bully, harass, haze and torment him in the beginning. Pulling back from the hug, he managed to catch her eyes. "Look, now it's just like two big band aids on the palms of my hands. When it's all better, I'll have some brand-new skin and I will have to wear special gloves for a while.
Gibbs was surprised that Tim had been truthful in his explanation to Tali, but he seemed to have accepted it without question. More importantly, Tim seemed to be doing better at accepting his injury than he had been doing only two days ago when Gibbs had seen him last. Clearly, his time alone had been beneficial.
"Why don't you go with Saba to get Aunty Kelly and let me, and Uncle Tim catch up?" Tony offered Tali. If there was anyone, he would trust to care for Tali besides himself, it was Gibbs, Tim and Kelly. "That way, you can have first cuddles with Aunty Kell, because I am positive Uncle Tim has been missing her and she has been missing him."
"Okay, Daddy," Tali said, as she hugged and kissed both Tony and Tim, before allowing Gibbs to scoop her up in his arms and wave goodbye as he headed towards the hospital.
Tony felt awkward, but as soon as Tali was gone, Tim switched off his niceties and reverted back to his upset and hurt facade. It was obvious to Tony, that he had really hurt Tim when he had been in D.C. for Christmas/New Year. "I am sorry," Tony finally confessed, and Tim looked at him as if he had grown another head. And rightfully so, Tony DiNozzo always took Gibbs' rules as gospel and was never known for his apologies. "Ziva was Tali's mother, and I thought I was doing the right thing by both of them. Took me a while to realize it cost me your friendship in doing so."
Tony began pacing, wringing his hands together as he paced, and Tim could see that this had been weighing on his former friend and colleague. "You were right, Tim," Tony sighed, in a frustrated huff. "The humanity has been sucked right out of her. It took a lot of convincing to get her to agree to let me bring Tali to see her. When she finally relented, she told Tali that her life would have been better if I had just left her alone as an orphan. She said this to our daughter, Tim. Tali is four! What kind of woman says that to a child? To her own flesh and blood?" Tony paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I couldn't believe it, Tim. I knew in that moment; I couldn't forgive her. Then I started getting angry at her for what she did to you."
"She still had her humanity; she gave me the means to escape." Tim said in a whisper and Tony looked at him as if he was the one who had grown a second head. "I begged her to come with me, even after she had done what she did. I tried to save her."
"I know you did, and I did too." Tony sighed sadly, as he took a seat on the sofa beside Tim. "She didn't want to be saved Tim. Last week, my dad watched Tali at our apartment in Paris and I flew to Tel Aviv, at Adam's request. I didn't see it happen, but she died by lethal injection. Of course, Mossad being Mossad, I made sure I saw the body up close. It was her Tim. They laid her to rest in the same cemetery, alongside her Ima, Papa, her sister Tali and her half-brother Ari."
"Hearing she died, does not and will not ease my pain or guilt about leaving her behind." Tim murmured. He looked up at the roof and he couldn't help it, he felt like he wanted to cry. Not for the ruthless killer and the cold Mossad operative she had become. But for the sister and friend she had been to him, even if it all had been one big lie.
"Yeah, I know." Tony patted Tim's shoulder and the two men exchanged looks. "I felt awful standing there, in front of the David family plot, weeping for the woman I once loved. I could see that smug bastard brother's face staring down at me from up above. Made me want to spit on the man's grave. It made me feel like I was betraying Kate, her memory. Made me feel like I had betrayed Gibbs. Made me realise not only did I betray you, but I had also double crossed you. I can't apologize enough, Tim. I love you, man."
"Hope you spat on his grave." Tim chuckled and it broke the ice between them. Tim didn't know what he would have done, had he been in that circumstance. "What's your next move?"
"Find an apartment, get Tali into a good school." Tony grinned at Tim. "Pick up my business and see if I can make it work here in the states."
"What have you been doing?" Tim asked, he had always assumed that Tony had been living off his family money and his retirement pension from the agency.
"Promise you won't laugh?" Tony asked, seriously. Tim wanted to make a joke, but he could see that it wasn't the right time. "I have been designing clothes. For both men and women. I've actually gotten pretty good at it. I don't manufacture them; I sell my designs to chain stores, and they manufacture and sell them. It allows me to work from home and have a steady income. It lets me be an at-home dad, with loads of time for Tali."
"I am proud of you." Tim grinned at his friend. "I really am. It isn't easy to make a whole new career out of nothing, especially in an area that is so vastly different to your previous vocation."
An hour after the two men had made up and had mostly discussed Tony and Tali, and the life they made for themselves in Paris. Gibbs finally arrived back with Tali and Kelly in tow. "Uncle Tim, we've got a surprise for you." Tali announced, as Gibbs held the door open for his daughter to hobble her way through the door on her crutches. "Aunty Kelly is home."
Tim grinned widely at the four-year-old, as he resisted the urge to run to her, pick her up, and twirl her around, before kissing the life out of her. "Hey, baby," he said, winking at Kelly. He stood up and helped her onto the sofa. "Do you need a snack?"
"No," Kelly said, shaking her head. "I do need a kiss from you though." She murmured before reaching up and pulling Tim's lips to hers. She opened her mouth against his and allowed his tongue entry into her mouth. Kelly moaned into the kiss, spurring Tim on, as he leaned her back slightly, so she was flush against the sofa. The more Kelly got into the kiss, the more excited Tim became.
Tony covered Tali's eyes, jokingly. "Aha-hem." Tony cleared his throat. "There is a child present, you know?"
Tim all too reluctantly broke off the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers, looking into her sparkling blue eyes. He smiled at her, the sexy smile he always had, just for her. "I fink Uncle Tim missed Aunty Kell." Tali grinned at her dad and all of the adults laughed.
Tim smiled against Kelly's forehead, as she smiled back at him, their eyes met. Tim loved seeing her crystal blue eyes sparkle when she was happy or laughing out loud. He quickly pressed his lips to her forehead and then to her lips. "I missed you, Kell." he whispered to her. "I love you."
Seeing her face light up as she whispered, "I love you, too." to him, sealed the deal. Now he knew that he couldn't wait; he was going to ask Kelly to marry him.
"So, why are we all hiding out in an FBI safe house?" Tony asked and awkward looks were exchanged between Gibbs, Tim and Kelly.