NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 13

Gibbs pulled into the driveway, shut off the car and glanced over his shoulder. Tim was still asleep, but Jethro was wide-awake, standing guard over his master. He smiled, as he remembered the tumultuous beginning the two of them had. It was obvious they now had an unbreakable bond. Gibbs exited the car, opened the door for Jethro then walked around to the other side to get Tim out. He expected the little guy to wake up when he began unbuckling him, but he was out cold. Gibbs lifted him out of the car just as Tony pulled in the driveway. The noise of the car's engine jolted Tim awake. Disoriented and half asleep, Tim began to sob and call out for Gibbs.

"Gib...Gib!" he cried, as he fought to get away from the strong arms that were holding him.

Rubbing his hand up and down Tim's back, he attempted to console him. "Shh...shh Timmy, I'm right here. We are at my house now."

Upon hearing Gibbs' voice, Tim's breathing hitched and he slowly opened his eyes. The tears made his vision blurry but he could smell Gibbs' aftershave. It was a smell he found comforting after being in close contact with him throughout the day. Needing reassurance, Tim reached up to touch his face, "Gib?" he sniffled.

Covering Tim's hand with his own he replied, "Yeah kiddo, it's me."

Tim finally relaxed and laid his head on Gibbs' shoulder. Ruffling his hair, Gibbs tightened his grip and carried him into the house.

Tony, Ziva and Abby watched in awe as they were given a glimpse of what Gibbs was like as a father. They witnessed it during cases involving children, but they could only imagine what he had been like with Kelly. Now they knew; this time it was different. Tim and Gibbs had formed a bond that would carry on long after McGee returned to adulthood.

Between the three of them, they were able to gather all the shopping bags and head into the met them at the door and motioned for them to follow him upstairs. "Which room will be for Timmy?" Abby inquired as they reached the top of the stairs. Gibbs entered what appeared to be the master bedroom. It was quite large but there were only a few pieces of furniture in it. A queen size bed was pushed against the back wall. Two beautifully handcrafted dressers adorned each of the adjacent walls, while an overstuffed recliner filled the corner. Ziva looked around "But, this is your bedroom, is it not?" she asked as she dropped her load of bags on the floor and stepped further into the room, allowing space for Tony and Abby. Gibbs nodded, "I want Tim as close to me as possible. Not only for his safety, but it will also be easier if he needs me during the night." He pointed to the dresser on the right side of the room "Abby...Ziver you two can put his new clothes in that dresser. I need to go help Tony with the crib and mattress." Tim tightened his grip on Gibbs after he heard him talking about going to help Tony. The team watched intently as Gibbs sat on the bed and began whispering in Tim's ear. They couldn't hear what was being discussed, but after a few minutes of reassurance from Gibbs, Tim released his grip. He propped Tim up against the pillows before kissing the top of his head and whispering, "That's my boy. I'll be right back."

Tim frowned when Gibbs and Tony left the room to get the crib. Ziva started unpacking and sorting the clothes into piles while Abby went to the dresser to decide what should go where. "I think the diapers need to go in the top drawer, that will give Gibbs easy access. Abby's comment made Tim realize he was wet and his diaper had leaked. A small wet spot formed near his crotch. He whimpered and covered the area with his hands. Ziva looked over when she heard him whimper, he looked like a deer caught in headlights. She realized something was wrong. However, judging by the look on his face, Tim was too embarrassed to discuss it. Deep in thought, Tim didn't notice that Gibbs and Tony had dropped off the mattress and were already heading back downstairs to get the crib. Ziva had an idea of what was bothering Tim but she did not want anyone, especially Abby, making a big deal out of it. As the girls were finishing up, Gibbs and Tony brought in the box containing the crib. Gibbs wiped the sweat from his brow, attempting to catch his breath. "Damn, DiNozzo...felt like I did all the lifting on that one." Tony sat on down on the bed gasping for breath, "Prob...ab...ly... did Boss."

"Gibbs...Gibbs... Gibbs!" Abby called out enthusiastically. "I have a present for you" she said while she handed him one of the plastic bags. Gibbs nodded then took the offered bag to open it. He pulled out a brown leather bag that had various pockets along the outside as well as a shoulder strap.

He gave her a quizzical look "Uh, thanks Abs. But, what is this for?"

Folding her arms in disappointment, Abby replied, "Well, it's a murse, Gibbs."

As hard as they tried, Tony and Ziva couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Still confused, Gibbs needed more information, "Murse?"

"It's a man purse or bag Gibbs. I thought it would be a good diaper bag for Timmy. Unless you want me to exchange it for a real diaper bag."

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "No, no this is fine. Thanks, I think."

Tim who had been watching the interaction was becoming very cold and uncomfortable. Without realizing it, he began squirming around and the movement caught the teams attention. Gibbs sat down next to Tim and was immediately blown back by the scent of stale urine. Tears were forming in Tim's eyes and Gibbs knew he needed to send the rest of the team home so he could care for him.

He stood up, turned around and gave the others a look of urgency, "Well, thanks for all of your help today. Tim needs me right now and it is getting late so I will talk to you in the morning."

Annoyed they were being kicked out, Abby turned to speak "But Gib..." however, before she could finish Tony and Ziva were dragging her out of the room.

Ziva waited until the three of them were outside before she spoke. "I believe that Tim's diaper leaked. He did not want us to see him like that."

Tony nodded, "Yeah, I figured something personal was bothering him." They both turned to look at Abby who was chewing on her bottom lip, "what?" she asked.

Tony just shook his head and began walking to the car. "Abs, next time Gibbs asks us to leave, we do it, without question. Contrary to your belief, he always has a damn good reason for the orders he gives." For the first time in her life, Abby was speechless. Tony rarely ever talked to her like that or even got mad at her.

Upon hearing the door close, Gibbs lifted Tim's hands from his lap to survey the damage. There was a large wet spot around his crotch that was making its way down Tim's leg. He sighed, when he heard Tim begin to sniffle.

"Shh...shh...buddy I'm not mad at you. I should have checked you before we left your place. It has been a long time since I have had to remember to check on things like this. This is a learning experience for both of us."

Tim's sniffles turned into sobs as he was reminded of the fact he relied on Gibbs for everything now. Gibbs pulled him into his chest and gently stroked the back of his head. Tim shivered and Gibbs took that as his cue to get the bath started. He pulled away and promised he would be right back. Tim nodded as he watched Gibbs walk into the master bath and return with a large bath towel.

He unfolded the towel on the bed and then picked Tim up. "Alright, let's get you out of these wet clothes, how does that sound?"

Tim nodded while Gibbs laid him on the towel and began to undress him. By the time Gibbs got to his pants he was shivering so much that his little teeth were chattering.

"Let's see what we got here" Gibbs said as he unbuttoned the jeans and began sliding them off Tim's legs. Gibbs winced when he saw that the inside of Tim's legs were red from chafing. Tim whimpered when the jeans brushed against the raw, angry skin.

"I'm sorry about this kiddo, next time you have to tell one of us if something like this happens. Nobody is going to make fun of you." Pulling down the front of the diaper, Gibbs was not surprised to see a rash was beginning to form. He sighed, "I hope that Abby was smart enough to pick up some ointment for diaper rashes."

Tim covered his face with his hands and didn't object when Gibbs picked him up and headed toward the dresser. Relieved to see a jar of ointment near the freshly stacked diapers, Gibbs gathered his supplies, along with a sleeper and headed for the bathroom. The tub was filled to just about the right depth and before setting Tim down in the water, he checked the temperature. Satisfied that it wasn't too hot, he plopped Tim down in the middle of the tub. Tim sighed as the warm water massaged his angry skin. Gibbs noticed that Abby had included some bubble bath but decided tonight was not the night for it. He grabbed a cup from the sink and began dumping water over Tim's head and upper body. Smiling, he watched as Tim enjoyed the massage to his scalp, much as he had earlier that morning. Rinsing Tim's hair, he grabbed a washcloth and moved on to the body wash for children. His touch was gentle as he did not want to further irritate his skin. Tim began dozing off, a few times Gibbs had to steady him as he began to lean to one side. Quickly finishing up, he drained the tub and lifted Tim out. Not wanting him to catch a chill, Gibbs wrapped him in a towel and took him back to the bedroom to dry him off. Carefully he spread the ointment into the affected areas and finished diapering him. As Gibbs zipped up the flannel sleeper, Tim started to become uncomfortable and pointed at his legs. "Hurt" he whimpered. Realizing that the flannel would only make the chafing worse, Gibbs pulled off the sleeper. He rifled through the drawers but couldn't find any other pajamas. "Tim, it looks like that's all Abby bought for jammies. We will have to pick some up tomorrow."

Tim pushed the sleeper away from him, "not wearing Gib."

"Well, that just leaves you with your diaper, Tim."

Tim shrugged then whispered "only you."

Not in the mood for an argument, Gibbs agreed. "If you only want to wear a diaper then that is fine with me. Let me run down and crank up the heat and make sure Jethro is taken care of for the night." Tim nodded as Gibbs ran downstairs, bumped up the thermostat and filled a water dish for the dog. On his way upstairs, he locked the dead bolt on the door and closed the blinds in the family room. When he walked back into the bedroom, Tim was lying on his back with his feet up in the air, playing with his toes. Gibbs chuckled at the sight and since Tim was occupied he took advantage of it. He took care of his business in the bathroom and stripped down to boxers and an undershirt. It had been a long day so he decided to assemble the crib in the morning.

Tim blushed when he realized Gibbs was watching him from the bathroom door. He immediately let go of his feet and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

"You ready for bed, squirt?"

Tim nodded then gave a small yawn around his thumb.

"Well I'm too tired to assemble the crib tonight, so we are going to share my bed, is that ok?"

Tim's eyes were beginning to close, no matter how hard he fought to keep them open. With only the bedside lamp illuminating the room, Gibbs lifted Tim up and placed him on one side of the bed. He got into the other side, pulled the blankets up and shut off the light. Trying to get comfortable, he was surprised when Tim rolled over and snuggled close to his chest. He kissed the top of his head, enjoying Tim's baby smell and the paternal feelings he was experiencing. Gibbs wrapped one arm around the toddler, before he, too, succumbed to sleep.