NCIS: McBaby

Chapter 15

Tim was apprehensive about being out in public for the first time since the transformation. Gibbs could sense his hesitation as they pulled into a local store and he parked the car. Attempting to relieve some of it, he turned around and patted his knee. "Listen, I know you are scared of what people might think, but the truth of the matter is the only people who know that you are not a "real" baby are you and me. Just act like a normal baby and no one will be the wiser."

Tim blushed and Gibbs gave his knee a reassuring squeeze before grabbing the diaper bag and exiting the car. Because the wind was so fierce, Gibbs unzipped his jacket, lifted Tim out of the car seat and sandwiched him between his body and the jacket as they walked into the store.

Gibbs grabbed a cart and sat Tim down in the seat. Shivering, Tim looked up, "cold Gib", his teeth chattering between words. Gibbs rubbed his hands up and down Tim's arms in an effort to warm him up. He then removed his jacket and draped it over him, in an attempt to regulate his body temperature.

"Let me know if you get too warm" Gibbs said as he pushed the cart over to the store directory. Taking a quick glance at the layout, he found the direction of the baby department and started walking towards it. Because it was early in the morning, there were very few shoppers, which allowed Tim and Gibbs to relax as they browsed. Their first stop was the clothing section to look for new pajamas. It had been a long time since Gibbs had been shopping for baby clothes, and even when he did, Shannon was usually with him so he was having a difficult time deciding which size to get. As they started looking through the racks of clothing, a young woman approached them. "Oh my gosh. Who is this cutie?" she squealed as she pinched Tim's cheek. Tim blushed, immediately casting his gaze downwards. Gibbs protectively stepped in between the woman and Tim.

"This is my son and I would appreciate it if you don't touch him."

The woman blushed "Sorry, force of habit. Is there anything I can help you with today?"

Gibbs instinctively pulled the cart closer to him and began searching through the racks again. "I'm trying to decide which size I need for him. He's 12 months old but I want to make sure they are going to be big enough.

The woman stepped to the other side of the rack and began pulling out different sleepers. "Here are some sizes between 12 and 18 months." She winked at Tim, "Perfect for your little guy to grow into."

Gibbs grabbed the sleepers and brought them over to the cart so Tim could take a closer look.

"It's so cute how you are going to let him choose which pajamas he wants. Normally parents come in and pick what they want."

Gibbs turned his attention towards Tim and smiled, "Maybe kids would be happier if they were given a choice as to what they want to wear. I can take it from here. Thanks for your help."

Taken aback at Gibbs' brashness the woman didn't think twice and walked away to help another couple that was wandering around aimlessly.

Gibbs looked over his shoulder to make sure the woman had left. Satisfied she wouldn't be returning he began sifting through the abundance of sleepers he collected from the rack.

"Alright buddy, let's take a look through these and see if they are up to your standards." Tim scrunched up his nose, he wore Armani; not baby clothes! Gibbs could tell Tim was overanalyzing the situation and decided to take control. "Timmy, if you don't pick a few of these, then I will. Tim's eyes got big as he studied Gibbs' face to decide if he was serious. Knowing that Gibbs rarely joked, he sighed and then spoke, "Baby."

Gibbs ran his hand through his hair and started to separate the sleepers into two different piles. Once he finished he held up each one separately so Tim could make a decision. They made it half way through the pile and Tim had chosen a red, green and blue stripped, plus two others in plain yellow and gray.