NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 24

The drive home was quiet and Gibbs used the rearview mirror to watch Tim. The little guy contently sucked his new pacifier, while he stared out the window. When they arrived home, Gibbs got Tim out of the car seat before collecting the bags out of the trunk. He nodded slightly as they passed the two agents who were on protection detail and unlocked the front door. As they walked inside, Jethro trotted over to greet the pair. "Hey boy, did you have a good day?" Gibbs asked as he dropped the bags and reached down to rub the dog's ears. Jethro barked as his tail wagged back and forth hitting Gibbs' legs. "Dog...gy" Tim tried as the pacifier fell out of his mouth onto the floor. Before Gibbs could reach down to retrieve it, Jethro grabbed it and took off with it. "Uh oh" Tim giggled as the two of them watched the dog run over and bury it in his bed. Gibbs sighed, "Uh oh is right. Good thing Abby bought some spares."

He sat the youngster on the couch and removed both of their coats. "Timmy I'll be right back, I'm going to let Jethro outside and I have a few dishes to wash." He grabbed the television remote and flipped through the channels until Tim told him to stop. Convinced Tim was occupied for a while he whistled for the dog and headed toward the back door. Once Jethro was let out, the most important item that needed cleaning was the coffee pot. He grabbed it, took it over to the sink and began scrubbing, along with the dishes from breakfast that morning.

Tim waited patiently for Gibbs to return, but it was taking longer than he expected and he was bored. He heard the water running so he decided to see what the older man was doing. The little guy knew he would be able to crawl over to the kitchen, but the challenge was getting off the couch. Learning from his previous experience he quickly situated himself on his tummy. Using what little strength he had he turned his body, dangled his feet over the edge and slowly slid down. His feet hit the floor; however, he was unable to maintain his balance and landed on his bottom with a thud. Satisfied Gibbs hadn't heard him, Tim got on his knees and began crawling toward the kitchen.

Gibbs finished washing the last dish from breakfast when he heard scratching at the back door. He turned off the water and walked over to let Jethro in. He did a double take as he turned around to see Tim sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor with a huge grin on his face. "Timmy, how did you get in here?"

The baby clapped his hands and squealed, "Me cwal."

The older man was shocked, "I see that." He then crouched down, "What a big boy you are, can you crawl over to me?"

Tim nodded and began crawling toward him. Jethro quickly came over and walked protectively alongside his master with each move he made. When he finally made it, he reached up and rested his hands' on Gibbs' knees. "Wow kiddo! I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it."

Gibbs picked up the toddler and threw him in the air. Tim laughed deliriously as the older man continued to toss him. Gibbs took a second to catch his breath, but it wasn't long before Tim asked "More Gib" between a fit of giggles. "Oh you like that, huh?" he teased, once again throwing the baby above his head.

Tim was having fun, that is, until his tummy began to hurt. The milk he drank earlier was sloshing around inside his stomach and the repetitive motion of being tossed in the air was starting to take its toll. He cried out, to let Gibbs know he was going to be sick, but the older man didn't stop. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Gibbs stopped and Tim couldn't hold it in anymore.

Gibbs noticed the look on Tim's face, reminiscent of when his young agent would get seasick. Before he could react, Tim was expelling all the milk he drank earlier down the front of their shirts. Needing to remain calm, he gently patted the baby's back until he finished. When he looked up at Gibbs, he burst into tears. "Sowwy...Gib...I...tell...u" he choked out between sobs. As if he didn't feel guilty enough, now Gibbs had to deal with the fact Tim tried to tell him to stop. "Aww I'm sorry kiddo, I didn't know you weren't feeling good. I thought you wanted me to continue. Can you forgive me?" Tim nodded slowly then threw his arms around Gibbs' neck and buried his face. Gibbs rocked the youngster for a few minutes before walking over to the kitchen sink. "You ready to get cleaned up, partner?" Tim slowly released his grip and smiled. Gibbs sat him on the counter and grabbed some paper towels from the holder.