Although she was exhausted, Ziva was excited about the opportunity to spend quality time with Timmy. All of the drama regarding the McGees and the adoption had subsequently made it harder for her to even cuddle with him. Now, she had at least six hours of one on one time until Abby arrived. Carefully navigating the snowy side streets she was relieved when she pulled into Gibbs' driveway and put the car in park. Even though she was a trained assassin and normally calm, cool and collected under pressure, driving Timmy home had been a nerve-wracking experience. If anything bad happened to the toddler while he was in her possession she didn't know if Gibbs would ever forgive her.
"We are home Timmy." She announced, climbing out of the car and slamming the door.
Tim jolted awake and began to panic when he didn't hear Gibbs' voice. Rubbing his eyes he whimpered, "Wan muh Dada."
Ziva gently stroked Tim's cheek and tried to reassure him, "Your daddy is at the hospital taking care of Grandpa Ducky, remember? I am going to stay with you until he gets back and we are going to have so much fun together." Tim appeared satisfied with her explanation and stretched lazily as she unbuckled him from the car seat.
"Baba?" Tim asked as Ziva lifted him out of the car and into her arms. "Yes, I will get you a nice warm bottle once we get inside." Trekking through the snow up to the front door she unlocked it and stepped inside. Shivering, she headed straight to the thermostat and bumped the temperature up several degrees. Tapping Timmy on the nose she smiled and said, "I know it is cold right now, but it will heat up quickly."
"Baba!" Tim shrieked as she dropped the diaper bag and headed toward the couch. "I will get you a bottle as soon as I take off your coat and hat, sweetie." Depositing the youngster on the couch she unzipped his coat and finagled his tiny arms out of it. Removing his hat she smoothed down his blonde curls and removed her own outerwear. Flipping on the television she found a station with cartoons and laughed as Tim became immediately enthralled. "Can you be a big boy and stay right here while I make your bottle?"
"Yesh," Timmy mumbled, his eyes never leaving the screen. Wearily, Ziva headed into the kitchen to prepare a bottle along with a cup of tea. She hoped that even though Tim dozed on their way home, a nice warm bottle would lull him back to sleep. Once the drinks were finished she returned to the family room to find Tim snuggled against the pillows, thumb in his mouth, eyes half closed. Placing the bottle and cup of tea on the table she sat down next to the toddler and gently rubbed his cheek, "Timmy, are you ready for your bottle?"
Tim nodded sleepily and crawled into her lap. Retrieving the bottle from the table she arranged Tim so he was cradled in her arms and sunk back into the couch cushions. Slipping off her shoes she propped her feet up on the table and positioned the nipple of the bottle inches from Timmy's mouth.
"Zeba...baba!" Timmy wailed impatiently before she could insert the nipple into his mouth.
"Give me a moment, Timmy." Once she was positioned comfortably she stuck the nipple into his mouth and chuckled as the youngster emitted a small sigh of contentment."
"I see somebody was hungry." She mused, flipping off the television and sinking deeper into the comfy couch. Using her free hand she managed to brush the curls off Tim's forehead and leaned down to kiss it, "I have missed you, Timothy." Sighing, she continued, "I would only be fooling myself if I did not admit that I miss grown up Tim, too. There is nobody around to gang up on Tony with me anymore or meet for dinner. I know Gibbs is happier than he has been in a long time, but I wish this would have never happened to you." Tim gurgled around the nipple and reached up to play with her hair. Laughing, Ziva patted his tummy; "I guess I cannot cut my hair until you get a little bit older."
Halfway through the bottle Tim had fallen asleep and as tired as Ziva was from being up all night she was enjoying watching the toddler sleep. Eventually her eyes grew heavy and she knew if she didn't get any rest it was going to make for a very long day. Standing up, she positioned Tim over her shoulder and placed the bottle back on the table. Resuming a seat on the couch she flung her legs up and laid back. The sudden movement caused Tim to stir briefly, but the repetitive stroking of his back by Ziva calmed him down in no time. Inhaling the soothing baby scent as Tim buried his face in the crook of her neck, Ziva followed him into a peaceful slumber.
XXX
A loud beep caused Gibbs to awaken with a start. Suddenly remembering where he was he lifted his head off the mattress and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you." The nurse whispered as she recorded Ducky's vital signs on a chart.
Gibbs swallowed a yawn and slumped back in the chair. Groggily he responded, "No, I'm sorry. My intention wasn't to fall asleep while I was visiting with Ducky." He shook his head to clear the excess cobwebs from his brain and sighed, "I guess I was more tired than I thought. I'm used to not getting a whole lot of sleep." Pausing he shrugged his shoulder and continued, "One of the many perks of being a Federal Agent."
"It's really no problem, Agent Gibbs. When I came in and found you asleep and Doctor Mallard looking more peaceful and relaxed than he had all day, I knew it was best to let you sleep. I imagine you work longer hours than most of us nurses. I've found now that I'm getting older it's a struggle to work long shifts. Hopefully within the next year I'll be able to retire and spend more time with my grandkids."
After hearing the nurse say that Ducky appeared more relaxed now that he was there and had apologized, Gibbs felt he could finally breath normally again. He hadn't worried about his old friend accepting his apology and could only remember one time when he'd held a grudge. He didn't blame Ducky for being upset when he abruptly left for Mexico leaving his entire family behind. "You know Ducky has a grandson named Tim who was quite upset when I mentioned he wouldn't be able to see him."
"Bless his heart. Once Doctor Mallard is moved out of ICU then Tim will be able to visit with him. As I said before, he has a long road ahead of him, but having family by his side will help tremendously." Hanging a new IV bag, she added, "How old is Tim?"
Gibbs pulled out his phone and scrolled through the few pictures he had of Tim. Proudly displaying it for the nurse to see he replied, "Tim is actually my son and a year old. Every day I feel blessed to have this little guy in my life."
"Aww he's adorable! I just want to pinch those chubby cheeks!" She cooed, her eyes roaming over the picture of Gibbs and Timmy cuddled together on the couch."It's no wonder you fell asleep, dealing with a one year old can be exhausting!"
Nodding, Gibbs returned the phone to his pocket and chuckled, "I can't imagine how it will be once he finally starts walking. He's pulling up on everything and that's enough to make me worry for now." The nurse snickered, "Every stage is different, you have the terrible two's to look forward to next."
"Don't remind me," Gibbs huffed as he stood up and grabbed his coffee cup from earlier. "I'm going to take a walk down to the cafeteria and grab something to eat."
The nurse nodded, "Don't worry I'll take good care of Doctor Mallard until you return. Ask for Lydia in the cafeteria, she's got a hidden stash of gourmet coffee that will tickle your taste buds. Tell her you're a friend of Linda's from the ICU and she'll take good care of you."
Smiling warmly he replied, "Thanks, Linda." Patting Ducky's hand he added, "I'll be back in a few minutes, Duck." Reaching the doorway he took one final look over his shoulder and then followed the signs to the cafeteria.
XXX
Tim was awakened from his nap by a thunderous noise permeating his eardrum. Blearily opening his eyes he noticed he was lying on top of Ziva's chest and that she was still sound asleep. Reaching up he squeezed her nose in an attempt to wake her, but she simply brushed away his hand and snuggled deeper into the pillow.
Zeba sweepy n me wanna eat. Tim thought when he saw the discarded bottle on the table. Poking the younger woman in the stomach he became irritated when she didn't wake up and decided to take matters into his own hands. He shimmied down her body to the end of the couch and peered over the edge. The drop from the couch to the floor didn't appear too far and he was confident he could get down on his own. Situating himself on his tummy so that his legs were dangling over the edge he slowly slid down. However, once his feet hit the floor he was unable to maintain balance and landed on his bottom with a thud. He grimaced as the soggy diaper squished beneath him and he really wished his daddy were there to change it. His tummy grumbling made him forget about the wet diaper and change his focus to food. Rising up on all fours, he glanced up to make sure Ziva was still asleep and crawled toward the kitchen.
Cwookies...cwookies...cwookies. Was the only thought that was on Tim's mind as he continued crawling, dodging the various toys and stuffed animals along the way. He'd watched plenty of times where his daddy kept the cookies and was bound and determined to get one. Finally reaching the kitchen he rested for a moment while he tried to remember where he last saw the cookies. Eyes widening, he tilted his head back and stared at the distance between the floor and the kitchen counter. Whoa dats fawr. He wondered when the counter had gotten so high all of a sudden.
Nevertheless, he was determined to find something to eat and with Ziva asleep he was going to be a big boy and do it all on his own. Grabbing hold of one of the cabinet handles he pulled himself up into a standing position and looked around. Wobbling, he desperately reached for the top of the counter until he lost his balance and collapsed in a heap. Determined to try again he pulled back up and steadied himself against the cabinets. Using the structure to balance against he stretched his arm up and was able to reach a bit higher than the previous try, but still wasn't close to reaching his coveted prize. Discouraged he flopped back down in a huff and opened his mouth to cry for Ziva when he noticed the cabinet door had popped open. Curious, he pushed it open and peered inside the dark space. Ders gotta be cwookies in der. Grabbing a bag of flour he giggled as the powdery substance sprinkled out of the top and landed on his pants. "Dis is jush wike out der!" His eyes widened as he opened the bag and saw endless amounts of the white material. Taking a handful he threw it up in the air and giggled as a dusting coated his pants and shirt. "Dis is betta den cwookies."
Grabbing two handfuls he tossed them in the air and watched in amazement as the flour came scattering down upon him. Soon the cookies were a distant memory and he dumped the rest of the bag on the floor to play with. Grasping a handful he rubbed it into his hair and squealed as the flour tumbled down his face and into his mouth. Smacking his lips together he tasted some of it and didn't think it tasted that badly. Besides, he was hungry and needed something to eat. Shoving a handful in his mouth he coughed and sputtered as the flour coated the inside of his mouth and tongue. "No, dats icky!" He managed to mumble through the chalky ingredient as another bag peeking out of the cupboard caught his attention. Grasping the bag with his tiny hands he attempted to drag it out, but it was caught between two large skillets, making it difficult to move. He tried several more times to remove the bag with no success. Resolutely, he gave one final yank to dislodge it and fell backwards as the bag came tumbling out along with an assortment of dishes that crashed to the ground. "Uh oh," He huffed as the landslide of dishes continued to pile up next to him.
Ziva catapulted off the couch when she heard the loud crash. Groggy and disoriented she realized she'd fallen asleep at Gibbs' house while babysitting for Tim. She glanced around the room and when there was no sign of the toddler, her heart started to race. What if one of the Grey sisters had escaped and had come for revenge or perhaps Maggie McGee had decided she wanted Tim back? Removing her gun from her holster she called out, "Timothy? Where are you?"
There was silence until she heard muffled laughter coming from the kitchen. Advancing slowly toward it she peeked around the corner and huffed, "Timothy! What are you doing? "
Tim's eyes widened when he saw her and flashed a mostly toothless grin. "Zeba! Me wanna cwookie!"
Surveying the damage she walked further into the kitchen and knelt down in front of him, "You made a mess kiddo." Brushing some flour off the toddler's clothes she continued, "Were you trying to make your own cookies? I see you happened to find the cupboard where we stored the flour and sugar we used for brunch earlier this week." Tim shrugged his shoulders, flashed his cute puppy dog eyes and pointed to the kitchen counter, "Cwookie pwease?"
"I will make you a deal, sweetie. You can have a cookie if you let me give you a nice warm bath afterwards. Sound good?"
Tim chewed on his bottom lip and contemplated her offer. He was dirty and a warm bath would feel nice, but he wasn't comfortable with Ziva seeing him naked. Then he remembered what his daddy said about being a big boy and that he wasn't always going to be around to change him. All it took was his tummy rumbling to remind him that he really wanted a cookie and suddenly didn't care if Ziva took care of him.
"Kay." He whispered and then giggled as Ziva brushed some of the flour off his nose.
"You are being such good boy, Timmy." Rising, Ziva found a package of Nutter Butters on the counter and chuckled as she remembered bringing adult Tim the same exact cookies when they were working together. Removing a cookie from the package she handed it to Timmy and frowned at all the clean up that would be necessary. While Tim enjoyed his cookie she went to work gathering all the pots and pans that had tumbled out of the cupboard. Many of them had a dusting of flour and would need to be washed before they could be returned to the cabinet. She was relieved that Timmy appeared unfazed by what had happened, but she felt like a failure. She shook her head in shame as she piled the dirtiest pots in the sink. The stress of Ducky's life threatening injuries combined with lack of sleep had caused her to let her guard down. Swearing under her breath in Hebrew she wondered how Tim accomplished such a feat. The kid had managed to climb off the couch, crawl to the kitchen and make a mess while she slept, oblivious to what was happening. Tim had essentially been alone for God knows how long and could have been seriously injured. Huffing, she plugged the drain, drizzled some dish soap and filled the sink. Suddenly Tim tugged on her pant leg and whined, "Bubble n Baba Zeba!"
Ziva turned to face the little guy and crouched down in front of him. "I bet that cookie made you thirsty. I will make you a little bit now and you can have the rest after your bath." She reached down, gently squeezed his diapered crotch and clucked her tongue; "I need to get you out of this wet diaper too. How about you have your bottle while I get you ready for your bath?"
The youngster nodded happily and watched as Ziva went to work preparing the bottle. "Huwwy Zeba!" Tim wailed and squirmed as the sodden diaper began irritating his already sensitive skin.
"What is wrong, Timmy?" Ziva asked alarmed that the toddler had an injury she'd possibly overlooked. Tim whimpered and tugged on the waistband of his sweats, "Oushie."
"Aw sweetie I bet you have a bit of a diaper rash. Do not worry; Aunt Ziva is going to make it all better. Let us get you out of these clothes and head upstairs to take a nice bath, hmm?"
Tim nodded and raised his arms up in the air so the younger woman could remove his shirt. "You are such a big helper. Gibbs is going to be very proud when I tell him what a big boy you have been." She tossed the shirt to the side and removed the toddler's shoes and socks. Tim tensed as her hands dug into the waistband of his sweats, but the dampness against his skin made him realize all he really wanted was a clean diaper. Ziva grimaced as she peeled off his pants to reveal a very wet diaper. "I am surprised you did not leak. Let me grab your bottle and we will head upstairs to get the bath running."
Removing the bottle from the microwave she handed it to Timmy and brushed the excess flour from his hair. "I already have a big mess to clean up and I would rather not leave a trail of flour in our wake." Once she was satisfied that all the flour that would come off, had come off, she gathered the little guy in her arms and slung the diaper bag over her shoulder before heading upstairs. Upon entering Gibbs' room she dropped the bag on the bed and went into the bathroom to fill the tub. She was amazed at how many bath toys there were and then remembered Abby had bought a giant bag when Tim had regressed. Plugging the drain she added some bubble bath as promised and began adding warm water. Rummaging through the linen closet she was able to find a clean towel and spread it out on the floor. "I am going to lay you down to take off your diaper and then I will put you in the bath. Sound like a plan?" Tim squealed excitedly around the nipple invading his mouth and continued to nurse while Ziva lay him down. She was anxious to see how bad Tim's rash had become and quickly unfastened the diaper and pulled it down. Lifting his legs she scowled at the angry red rash covering his entire bottom. Leaving Tim unattended as well as a diaper rash, Gibbs will never let me babysit again. She thought, gently running her fingertips over the youngster's cute little bottom. Tim, who had been nursing contently suddenly opened his eyes and whimpered as his delicate skin was irritated.
"I am sorry, baby. I will try to make it all better."
Tim popped the bottle out of his mouth and stared at her earnestly before asking, "U kish it?"
"You want me to kiss your bottom to make it feel better?"
Nodding, Tim crossed one leg over the other and exposed his sore bottom. Frowning, he gently patted it and made eye contact with Ziva, "Oushie boo boo."
Ziva roared with laughter at the toddler's request and when she was finally able to catch her breath, she replied, "I am not going to kiss your bottom, Timmy. That is what daddies are for." The young woman was shocked at how quickly Tim's modesty fell by the wayside, but she couldn't kiss his bottom, it was unsanitary amongst other things. The toddler's face crumpled in disappointment and tears welled up in his eyes upon hearing her answer. Realizing she needed to quickly diffuse the situation, she leaned down and blew raspberries on his tummy until he was giggling hysterically. By the time she'd finished and Tim had finally caught his breath, the tub was done filling and bubbles were cascading over the edge. Collecting Tim in her arms she gently lowered him into the warm water and was relieved when the little guy emitted a sigh on contentment.
"I told you that the bath would feel much better than any kisses from me, kiddo."
Tim nodded and began playing with his favorite bath time toys; little ducks, frogs and fishes that would squirt a stream of water out when squeezed together. Ziva plopped down next to the tub and kept a close eye on the toddler as he played. The last thing she needed today was for Tim to drown in the bathtub. As she watched him, she thought about how she was going to tell Gibbs what happened. Who was she kidding? He was the great and powerful Leroy Jethro Gibbs and there was a strong possibility he already knew. He always seemed to know if something wasn't quite right. There was one thing for certain and that was Gibbs couldn't be any more disappointed in her than she already was. Gibbs trusted her to look after his pride and joy and she let him down.
Seemingly on cue her cell phone vibrated in her pocket causing her heart to race and palms become sweaty. She didn't need to look at the caller ID to know who was calling. Swallowing past the lump in her throat she pressed the button to answer and stuttered, "G... G... Gibbs? Is everything all right?"