NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 14

The next morning, Tony and Ziva walked into the lab to begin reviewing the security footage from Chadwick's.

"Hello Abby!"

"Hey Abs!"

Abby did not acknowledge either one of them and continued to stare blankly at the computer screen. Tony and Ziva exchanged puzzled looks while they waited for her to move. Abby spun around on the chair to face them before she began to speak.

She crossed her arms and scowled, "Timmy and Gibbs do not even want to be around me. What did I do to be treated like this? I have done everything both of them asked. It's not like I made fun of him, like you Tony."

When they left Gibbs' house the night before, Abby was silent the entire drive. Because she normally had commentary for every situation, Tony and Ziva were surprised when she didn't make a peep. Apparently, she had collected her thoughts overnight and could not contain them anymore.

Tony sighed, "Abby, why don't you understand that Tim's world has been turned upside down and the one person he feels most comfortable with right now, just happens to be Gibbs?"

Abby shook her head, "That's not true Tony, Tim let Ziva feed him a bottle plus you got to hold him while Gibbs checked the car seat. Every time I get near Tim, he starts shivering, his eyes get big and he tries to "melt" into Gibbs.

Tony ran his fingers through his hair, "Oh come on Abby, give the kid a break."

Tired of listening to Abby's whining, Ziva grabbed the security footage and started to leave.

"Ziva, where are you going? I thought we were going to watch that together." Abby called out nervously.

Ziva scoffed, took a deep breath, then turned to face her, "I do not understand why this is so difficult for you. Is it because for once you are not the center of attention? If that is the reason, then you seriously need to take a good look at yourself. We are a team, when you feel like acting like you are a part of it, then you can help us."

Tony stood in shock as he listened to Ziva. By the time she was done, Abby had tears in her eyes. He wanted to comfort her but also knew that if he did, Ziva's lecture would be pointless.

"You coming, Tony?" Ziva asked from the doorway.

Tony took one last look at Abby, then left to catch the elevator with Ziva. Abby turned back toward her desk, covered her face and began sobbing.

A streak of sunlight streamed through the window of the bedroom. Gibbs looked over at the clock but it was still early. He sighed then rolled over to watch the small sleeping figure lying next to him. The way the sunlight hit Tim's face at that moment made him look even younger than he did the day before. Gibbs carded his hand through Tim's baby soft hair and smiled. It had been a long time since he had taken care of a little one. He thought back to how Kelly would climb in bed with him and Shannon during the night if she had a bad dream or was not feeling well. Those were memories he cherished but also felt he was being given a second chance with Tim. A kick to the stomach returned him to the present time.

"Sorry" Tim smiled, as he attempted to scoot closer to Gibbs.

Gibbs grabbed him under the arms and began tickling. Tim rolled from side to side and began laughing uncontrollably as Gibbs moved from his arms to his feet. Hearing Tim's laughter, Gibbs couldn't help but laugh as well. Deciding to change it up a bit, he leaned down and started blowing raspberries on Tim's stomach. Between Gibbs' lips along with the whiskers on his face, Tim couldn't help it when he let out a high-pitched squeal. After a few minutes, Tim was laughing so much and having trouble catching his breath, Gibbs stopped. When their breathing had returned to normal, Gibbs got off the bed, flicked on the light and started to examine Tim's legs. They were still angry and red in color. He ran his fingertips over them, which caused Tim to pull away. "I'm sorry buddy but I need to take a good look." Gibbs soothed while he inspected them further. "I think we need to ask Ducky for some cream that is a little bit stronger."