Chapter Fifteen
Even though Kelly was an early bird, it was incredibly hard for Shannon to get her up and moving in the wee hours of the morning. They’d had a wonderful night with the girls, Kelly and Maddie even putting on a little play for them. Shannon had been sick twice more, but outside of Jane and Lynn giving her concerned looks, she’d been able to ignore the pregnancy and everything it represented.
Shannon was worried about Jethro, and as happy as she was about the pregnancy, she couldn’t help wondering how it would impact their family. They’d nearly lost Jethro after yet another mysterious deployment had resulted in an injury. At least she could ask him about this one and he’d talk a little bit, to the extent that her husband would speak about that part of his life.
There had been times in their relationship where Jethro had come back from a deployment with fresh ridges of scar tissue on his body. And when she’d ask about them, his eyes would take on a haunted look that chilled her blood, the lines in his face deepening and making him look so much older and weathered. Even though the country wasn’t at war, Shannon had no doubt that her husband had seen his share of combat situations.
It was so much easier in the early days. He’d been an MP, which wasn’t the saftest Marine career, but he’d never been hurt beyond a bruise here and there. She hadn’t even known what sniper training meant specifically. He was a good shooter, they were training him for that, weren’t they?
Then the frequent deployments had started and her husband had become more withdrawn, more quiet. He was always scanning the horizon or points of entry and exit from buildings, he was always watchful and very aware of their surroundings, no matter how relaxed he seemed to be. Shannon knew her husband’s moods and body language inside and out. And until he’d become a sniper, she’d known his thoughts as well.
Now there was a part of him that was walled off, a place that she could never touch. And she’d tried many times. When Jethro woke up sweating and shaking"and sometimes screaming"from his nightmares, she’d been there. The mumbled words she’d been able to decipher painted a picture of her husband’s time away, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know more.
And if she did, there was no point in asking. Even if the missions weren’t classified, she knew from the look in his eyes that he would never discuss it with her. The couple of times she’d pushed in the early days, he said it was just a job. He didn’t expect her to discuss her students with him and she shouldn’t expect him to discuss his job in detail. That had been before the nightmares and mysterious injuries. And before the “job” almost killed him.
“Mommy, I’m hungry!”
Shannon nodded, realizing she’d been parked at the airport for a few minutes now. She’d roused Kelly at five thirty, packing a few changes of clothes and her favorite stuffed toys while Kelly splashed in the tub. Shannon had showered, dressed, and packed before waking her little girl up. She was used to working quickly and efficiently. And at least, her nausea was at bay for now. She’d been able to sleep a solid seven hours despite all that was on her mind.
Her efficiency had paid off. They had arrived at the airport an hour and a half before the flight. The shuttles had their own special terminal at National Airport, so there wasn’t likely to be a huge crowd.
“Let’s go, honey.” Shannon came around to the trunk, hauling her wheeled carry-on bag out. That was her only luggage. She didn’t need a lot of room for her casual clothes. They would only dress up for Easter itself and would be home in a few days. She’d even packed a few shirts, some underwear, and a spare pair of pants for Jethro. He wasn’t thinking clearly these days and she had no idea what he’d brought along.
And the boy might need clothes. She remembered him; she’d been so surprised to see Jethro with a teenaged boy that she wasn’t likely to forget. The naked longing in Jethro’s eyes as the boy had trudged through the snow had stayed with her, and she had to work to squelch the jealousy she could feel rising up. He was a teenaged boy who needed a friend, a mentor, a big brother. He wasn’t any competition for her children, either the one standing beside her or unborn one.
Shannon slipped Kelly’s backpack on and secured it before getting organized herself.
“Mommy, will you carry me?”
“I can’t, honey.” Between her tote bag and the two roller bag carry-ons, she had her hands full. “Anyway, you’re a big girl. Princesses aren’t carried.”
“Some are,” Kelly said with a sly smile.
“Not Princess Kelly Gibbs,” Shannon replied, kissing her daughter’s nose. “Let’s get inside and get you fed, Princess.”
“Okay, Mommy!” Kelly held Shannon’s forearm and Shannon sighed in relief. It wouldn’t always be like this with Kelly, especially not with a new baby and possibly a teenager in their lives. She suddenly longed for one last moment to cherish with just her daughter and husband before it all changed.
~*~
Gibbs opened his eyes slowly, studying the play of shadows on the ceiling of the bedroom. It was late, at least ten hundred by the position of the sun. He’d been sleeping for ages and longer than he had in a while.
He lifted his head slowly, looking around the room and resting his hand on the rumpled but cool side of the bed. Tony must have gotten up a while ago, Gibbs realized.
After dinner, Tony had been exhausted but unwilling to go to sleep yet. Gibbs understood that feeling all too well. Nate had brought Tony up into the attic"a space Nate had converted to a library"for a book. Tony had selected The Three Musketeers, settling down in the living room to read it. Gibbs was impressed that Tony hadn’t chosen a thinner book, or one of the more modern books Nate devoured.
Gibbs hadn’t been up to doing much more than lying on the couch with his eyes closed. Nate had settled in to read a medical journal and Sarah had decided to work on her needlepoint. It had been relaxing and peaceful, feeling comfortable in a way it shouldn’t have.
By twenty-two hundred, both man and teen had been so exhausted they’d gone to bed. Together. Tony had indicated non-verbally that he needed the comfort and closeness and Sarah and Nate hadn’t argued. Things would change when the girls arrived, but last night Nate and Sarah had seemed to understand Tony’s insecurity and need to be with someone who he trusted implicitly.
Gibbs was tempted to search for Tony, but he forced himself to be patient. Nate had said that Shan and Kelly would be on the eight a.m. shuttle, which meant they’d be here any time now. He really needed to shower and make himself presentable before going on a search for Tony. His in-laws would make sure that Tony didn’t get into any trouble and with Shan and Kel on the way here, Gibbs had to keep them in mind. He couldn’t react so strongly to Tony in their presence or Kelly would have her back up and the Princess Brat would come out to play.
Gibbs sat up and swung his legs around in one motion, gulping back the nausea. He seemed a little better today, which could probably be credited to nearly twelve hours of sleep. He stood, taking a few steps toward his bag and bending slowly from the knees. He’d learned early on that bending over things was a bad idea for his equilibrium.
Extracting a shirt, undershirt, pair of pants, and clean pair of boxers, Gibbs stood again, moving in slow precise motions as he made his way to the bathroom. The room was steamy and his shaving kit gaped open. At some point last night, he’d told Tony he could use anything from it. Seemed Tony had taken the important things"pictures, his birth certificate, some medical records"leaving most of the practical items at home.
Gibbs turned the shower on, grabbing his razor and shaving cream and setting out a towel for himself. The inlaid marble floor was cold against his feet and even the bath mat couldn’t completely chase the chill away. He showered fairly quickly, giving most of his time to washing his hair in gentle motions. The last thing he wanted was to overdo it and pass out in the shower like he had last week. At least he’d been home alone at the time and Shannon and Kelly had no idea.
Gibbs considered it a victory that he was able to wash his hair"and shower"without throwing up. Shaving and dressing were easy by comparison, but when he was done, he had to grip the counter and steady himself for a few moments.
“Are you okay, Jethro?” He flinched at the sound of the voice, but avoided snapping his head up. Sarah was outside the door, no threat there. Gibbs pushed off the counter and opened the door, giving her a smile.
“Yeah, just showered. Where is he?”
“Downstairs. He’s fine, Jethro. And Nate has gone to get Shannon and Kelly from Laguardia. Why don’t you come downstairs and have some toast and coffee before the girls arrive.”
“He’s okay?” Gibbs asked. Even knowing that Sarah said Tony was all right, he needed more verbal confirmation himself.
“He looks awful…the bruises.” She pressed her lips together, shaking her head. “But he’s talking a bit and even offered to help me with the gardening later, if you and Nate say that he’s up to it.” She pulled Gibbs into a hug. “He’s going to be just fine. You both are.”
Gibbs slipped on socks and shoes before venturing downstairs. Tony was sitting at the table, deeply engrossed in the book. He looked up expectantly and scrambled to his feet when Gibbs came in.
“Da-Jay!” His ears reddened as he realized what he’d almost said. “Gotta stop that,” he remarked, reminding himself and giving Gibbs a sheepish smile.
“Sleep okay?” Gibbs asked, pulling Tony into a gentle hug. He pulled back, brushing a thumb gently over a bruised cheekbone.
“Yeah. Felt safe with you there.”
“I’m always here, remember?”
Tony gave him a shy smile, ducking his head and nodding. “Yeah.”
“You like the book?”
“Yeah! Did you ever see the movie? It had Lana Turner and Gene Kelly and June Allyson and Vincent Price. It was amazing!”
“Never saw it,” Gibbs said, amused by Tony’s enthusiasm. When the teen was excited, his eyes took on a glow. He had to find out what else gave Tony that spark. It was nice to see and made the teen seem a lot younger.
Gibbs reached for the steaming hot coffee Sarah handed him and took a sip, then bit into a piece of toast.
“Oh. Think we can sometime? Movies are my thing, Jay.”
Gibbs wasn’t much of a fan of movies or TV, but it was clear that this was important to Tony. “We’ll do it. We’ll watch some movies together soon.”
“You promise?” Tony asked softly, settling back into his chair.
“I promise. If it’s important to you, it’s important to me too.”
“Thanks,” Tony whispered, eyes suddenly glassy with the sheen of tears. Gibbs wanted to investigate that more, but before he could, the front door opened.
“Daddy! Daddy! Where are you?”
“Kitchen, Kel!” he called back, stifling a sigh when the light went right out of Tony’s eyes.
“Daddy, the plane was great! They gave me wings just for me and I got a coloring book, and…” She skidded to a stop, frowning at Tony. “Who is he? Make that icky boy go away!”
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