Abby and Caitlin were released two days later. Tim took two weeks off to help Abby out. Things were rough at first. The baby kept them awake quite often before she started to settle into a normal sleep pattern. Gibbs, Tony and Ducky had all stopped by at various times, helping them out when they could. When it came time for Tim to go back to work, Becca had offered to come over during the day to help Abby and keep her company.
Tim’s first day back was absolutely awful. He was dead tired and really didn’t want to leave Abby and the baby. The day started out bad when a new member was assigned to the team. Despite the fact that it had been almost nine months since Kate had been killed, Tony was not happy with the fact that she was sitting at Kate’s desk. Tony bickered with her all day long, which of course pissed Gibbs off. Things went downhill form there.
The case they got called out on was a real doozy. After they came back to the office, Tim fell asleep at his desk. Needless to say, Gibbs didn’t handle it too well. The new lab tech that was filling in for Abby was a real jerk, nobody liked him. Tim was so busy, he didn’t get a chance to call Abby even once. They worked well into the night before Gibbs finally let them leave. Tim was beginning to wonder if Gibbs was reverting back into his old self.
He sighed as he walked in the front door. He looked at his watch. Ten forty five. Abby was sure to be asleep. He threw his keys on the table and his jacket on a chair. He walked into the living room, stopping at the doorway. He stood, smiling from ear to ear. Abby was asleep in the recliner holding the baby. He forgot all about his miserable day just watching the two of them. They were the only two people in the world at that moment in time. He quietly walked over and picked up baby Caitlin. Abby stirred but didn’t wake up. He took his daughter to her nursery and gently laid her in her crib after giving her a kiss on the forehead.
He returned to the living room and picked Abby up from the chair.
She woke up as he carried her to their bedroom. “Hey Tim. What time is it?”
“It’s late babe. I put Caitlin in her crib. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you. I barely had time to breathe today.”
“Bad day?”
“You could say that.”
He laid her down gently on the bed. Before be could stand up, she pulled him to her and kissed him passionately. He pulled away slightly and smiled at her.
She gently stroked his cheek. “Feel better?”
“Much. I love you Abbs.”
“I love you too Tim. Sorry you had a crappy day.”
“It’s all right. I missed you though.”
“Want to talk about it?”
He kissed her again. “Nah. Get some rest. I’m going to grab something to eat. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Okay. There are leftovers in the fridge. Becca made dinner for us.”
That made him feel bad. “Abbs, I’m sorry I wasn’t home for dinner.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know how Gibbs can be.”
“Thanks Abbs.” He gave her one more kiss then headed off to the kitchen.
When he came back to the bedroom, Abby was asleep again. He smiled at her sleeping form. He changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt then crawled into bed with Abby. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly as he quickly drifted off to sleep.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tim's first day back is not so good.