NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 5

Back at NCIS Tony and Ziva continued to comb through cold case files while they waited to hear on the status of McGee. They knew that any break in these cases could give the family of a murdered marine closure but right now all they could think about was their own family. The elevator dinged and they both turned to look, in hopes that it was their missing teammate.

"Oh, it is just Abby." Ziva pointed out and went back to reviewing the case in front of her.

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Ziva. Where's Gibbs? I need him to sign my vacation request form for next month."

Tony and Ziva exchanged nervous glances as they debated telling Abby the truth.

"Gibbs is out of the office right now, said he had some kind of errand to run." Tony tried to convince her.

"You're not a very good liar, Tony." Abby said stepping into his personal space.

"What are you not telling me? And where's McGee?" she said glancing around the bullpen.

Tony and Ziva both frowned; this is what they were afraid of, having to convince Abby that everything was ok even though they themselves didn't know Tim's status. Realizing that it would be a losing battle, Tony sighed as he stood up and wrapped his arm around Abby's shoulder.

"Listen, Abs…if I tell you what's going on do you promise not to freak out?"

"Freak out? Freak out? When do I ever freak out?" she screamed waving her arms around, immediately freaking out.

"You really want me to answer that question, Abby? Only like every time one of us is hurt or in trouble."

She punched him in the arm and replied, "Well I have a right to be worried Tony, you're all my family."

Suddenly Ziva blurted out, "McGee did not show up for work this morning and was not answering his cell. Gibbs went to his apartment to check on him."

Tony gave her an exasperated look.

"Oh no! What if something's wrong with Timmy? She paced back and forth through the bullpen while she let her imagination run wild.

"What if he was in a car accident or robbed or beaten or …or…or"

"Abs!" Tony cut her off and grabbed her arm.

"Remember what I said about panicking? Gibbs could call at anytime telling us that McGee needs us so let's try and calm down."

Taking a deep breath, Abby suddenly launched herself into Tony's arms.

"Oh, Tony, what if… Gibbs… doesn't… find him… in time?" She said between sniffles.

Tony pulled her closer and reassuringly rubbed his hand down her back "He will Abby, he will."

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Gibbs stepped out of the bedroom and walked toward the living room. He did not want Tim to hear his conversation with Ducky. Sitting down on the couch, he hit the speed dial on his phone and leaned back against the cushions.

"Why hello there Jethro, to what do I owe the hon...?"

"Duck, I need your help." Gibbs cut him off

"Well of course, what can I do for you?"

"Need you to make a house call. Tim's not himself."

"Well what's the problem; cold, flu?"

"Remember yesterday when I asked you to do that psych evaluation on Lucy Grey?"

"Of course Jethro, what are you trying to say?"

"Tim didn't show up for work this morning. I got worried so I came over to his apartment and found that he had been de-aged. He's no longer a man, he's a toddler!"

"Are you serious, Jethro? I hope you wouldn't joke about something like this." Ducky asked, flabbergasted.

"Do I sound like I'm joking, Duck? Could you come over here and check him out? I want to make sure that he's healthy."

"Well of course, Jethro, I'll grab my medical supplies and head over."

"One more thing Duck, first off, no one else needs to know what's going on with Tim until after you examine him. He's already embarrassed enough by this and I'm worried how he'll handle the rest of the team knowing."

"I also need you to stop at the store and get some items for him. Basic stuff like food, clothes, and eating utensils. He's also had a few accidents so I'm afraid that he'll need some diapers for the time being. He looks like he's about a year old and around 20 pounds so you'll know what size to get"

"Sure thing, Jethro I'm on my way out right now."

"Thanks, we'll see you soon Duck."

Gibbs closed his phone and rubbed his hand over his eyes, trying to control his anger. He wasn't sure what mental state Tim was currently in and he knew he must remain calm. He walked back to the bedroom and leaned against the doorway silently observing Tim. Jethro's chin was resting in Tim's lap and he was gently stroking his head.

Tim sat quietly on the bed, trying to digest the information that soon his whole team would know that he had been transformed. Abby and Ziva's opinions didn't concern him at the moment, it was Tony's jokes and nicknames he couldn't bear to hear. Not to mention feeling helpless in every aspect of his life. He thought about how paternal and understanding Gibbs had been about the bedwetting and Tim knew his boss had hoped to give him some comfort. Although he could understand what was being said to him, he was having a hard time finding the words to express what he wanted to say.

Gibbs decided it was time to get Tim cleaned up and ready for Ducky to examine him. He walked over and knelt down on the side of the bed so that he was eye level with him.

"Hey Tim, do you feel like getting cleaned up before Ducky gets here?"

Tim's eyes darted from Jethro's fur to meet a very compassionate set of baby blues. He blushed slightly, nodded and turned his attention back to Jethro.

"Alright, I'll go start a bath for you and then I can get these sheets in the wash."

Once the bath was started Gibbs came back to get Tim.

"Do you think you can walk?" He asked, trying to give him as much independence as he could at that moment.

Tim shrugged his shoulders and scooted to the edge of the bed. Since it was a decent size drop from the bed to the floor for someone Tim's size, Gibbs gently lifted him up and set him on the floor. Tim's legs wobbled as Gibbs set him down and before he knew it, his balance gave way and he collapsed to the floor. Worried that he was hurt, Gibbs instinctively reached down, collected Tim in his arms and walked towards the bathroom.

"We'll try later on, once we have more time. I'm sure your new legs will take some getting use to.

Tim just nodded, buried his face in Gibbs' shoulder and allowed himself to be carried. The tub was just about filled when they walked in and Gibbs reached down to turn the water off. He dipped a few fingers in to make sure it wasn't too hot and turned to sit on the toilet seat while he held Tim in his lap.

"Listen Tim, I know this is embarrassing for you, but I have to help you with this bath."

Tim pulled his face from Gibbs' shoulder and nodded.

"Good boy, now let's get that shirt off and get you into this nice warm bath."

He removed the undershirt and deposited Tim in the bath. Gibbs saw a small smile form on Tim's face when he felt the warm water caress his skin. He smirked while he grabbed the bottle of shampoo and began washing Tim's hair. He noticed that Tim had closed his eyes and was enjoying the massage that Gibbs' fingers were currently giving his scalp. After the shampoo, the loofah was coated with soap and the rest of Tim's body was scrubbed clean. Following a gentle rinse, Gibbs grabbed a towel out of the linen closet, threw it over his shoulder and proceeded to lift Tim out of the tub. Wrapping the towel around him, Gibbs continued to pat him dry. Once he was satisfied that he was dry, he grabbed another towel and gently wrapped Tim in it to wait for Ducky to arrive.