The Boy and the Bunny Part 7, PG-13
"Hey buddy," Shannon said quietly, stroking Tony's hair back from his forehead. "You're getting transferred today. You're getting better, so you get to leave ICU. Isn't that exciting?"
Tony watched her with wide, teary eyes, lower lip trembling.
"I can't hear you," he said, his voice cracking. "I want to hear you."
"I know, sweetie, I'm sorry," Shannon said, keeping up the physical contact. "Jethro is coming to see you today. He'll show you some sign language."
Tony sniffled.
"Oh, I have something for you. You can have it now that you're not in ICU anymore," Shannon said. She reached down to her bag and pulled out the stuffed rabbit Tony had clutched so tightly.
Tony's eyes lit up. "Bunny!" he cried, grabbing it eagerly. He nuzzled his face into the silky fur and held it there for a minute. A few minutes later, Shannon could see that Tony's shoulders were shaking.
"Oh, sweetie, you don't need to cry," she said, wrapping him in a hug.
"Sorry," Tony said loudly, impatiently swiping a hand across his runny nose. "'M not s'posed to cry."
"Tony," Shannon said, cupping Tony's chin in her hand. "It's okay. That's okay." She tried to convey what she was saying through her expression, tried to make Tony understand what she was saying, but she wasn't sure if it was working.
"I wanna go home," Tony whispered. "Please?"
"Not today, sweetie, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, baby," Shannon soothed, wrapping Tony up in her arms. "I'm sorry, babe."
Tony wriggled in her grasp, stubbornly pushing himself away from her.
"Tony, sweetheart, I know this is hard," Shannon murmured, rubbing Tony's back.
"I just wanna go home," he whimpered with a sigh. Shannon rubbed his back until she felt him relax into sleep.
xxxx
After work, Jethro called Shannon. His wife was distraught, concerned about Tony and how he was coping with everything and tearfully asked Jethro to go see him.
"Listen Shannon, I'll go talk to him. And I'm sure that Tony isn't lashing out at you personally. He's lonely and scared and confused."
"I know that, J, it's just hard, you know? He wouldn't even look at me."
"Shan, you know that that's going to come with the territory, right? When we're parents?"
"He wouldn't look at me because I can't talk to him and I can't take him home. That's not going to happen when we're his parents. But you're right, Jethro. I need to lighten up."
"No, just relax for now, Shannon. It's going to be hard for a little while, but then it will get better. Okay? He's going to have good days and bad days, and his bad days are probably going to be pretty low. But that'll make the good days that much better, right?"
"Yeah. You're right, J. Thank you."
"Not a problem. I'll see you when I get home."
Tony was lying listlessly in the bed when Jethro walked in, his bunny tucked in next to his side.
"Hey Tony," Jethro said, waving broadly to catch the little boy's attention. Tony hesitantly waved back, clearly uncertain if he trusted Gibbs or not.
"How you doing today?" Jethro asked, settling in to the chair beside the bed. Tony shrugged.
"I can't hear you," he said loudly.
"I know," Jethro answered, signing the words as he said them. Tony's eyes widened.
"Hi," Jethro signed, "My name is Jethro." He finger-spelled his name, watching Tony closely for a reaction. The little boy was watching him with rapt attention. Jethro pointed at himself and spelled his name again, then pointed at Tony and spelled out TONY. Tony's jaw dropped.
"Tony?" He asked. Jethro nodded. "Again!" Jethro grinned and did it again.
"Now you!" Tony shouted excitedly, pointing at Jethro. Jethro complied.
"Now Bunny!" Tony cried holding Bunny up. Jethro finger spelled BUNNY, then made the sign for rabbit, bringing his hands up next to his head and waggling them like ears. Tony giggled, and Jethro smiled at the unexpected sound.
"Like that, huh?" Jehtro said, repeating the sign. Tony laughed again and then copied the motion.
"Alright!" Gibbs cheered, signing as he spoke. "Great job!" He obviously and clearly clapped his hands to let Tony know that he was happy. Tony laughed again, then pointed to himself. Jethro carefully and slowly spelled his name out. Tony stuck his tongue out in concentration as he struggled to emulate Jethro's actions. He got T-O easily, then struggled on the N.
"Here, like this," Jethro said, leaning forward. He started to guide Tony's fingers when the boy snatched his hand away with a sharp gasp.
"Oh, sorry buddy," Jethro said, signing out 'sorry.' Tony turned his head away. "Okay, bud, but you can't get rid of me that easily," Gibbs said, pulling a book out of his backpack. He started reading it, making a big show of flipping the pages. He caught Tony looking at him sideways, but the boy looked away quickly when they made eye contact. Jethro continued reading until he felt a tugging at his sleeve.
"Oh, hey," he said, turning to face Tony. "Do you want to see?" He signed, lifting the book. Tony nodded.
"Book," Jethro signed, pointing at the book. Tony repeated the action. "Alright!" Gibbs said with a big smile. Tony repeated happily, giggling, then tugged at Jethro's sleeve again.
"Book," he signed, and Jethro chuckled.
"Okay, okay," he said. He opened the book to the first page. "This is a lion," he said, making the sign for lion. Tony copied him.
"He's walking in the grass," Jethro said, signing 'walk' and 'grass.' Tony again copied this.
"Okay, what is this?" Jethro asked, pointing at the lion. Tony quickly made the correct sign, giggling when Jethro reacted with an exaggerated expression of surprise.
"That's right!" Gibbs said, then laughed when Tony quickly signed 'walk' and 'grass,' watching for Jethro's face and laughing when he again feigned surprise. Tony's giggles abruptly turned into hacking, wet coughs that left him gasping for air and hunched over, one hand pressed to his chest.
"Hang on, buddy," Jethro said, leaning over the bed to press the call button. "Come on, Tony, breathe." He started patting Tony on the back, then quickly started pounding as his panic increased.
"I need help in here!" Jethro bellowed, relieved when a nurse finally rushed into the room.
"Keep pounding," she said, swapping Tony's nasal cannula with a mask. "He needs to get the crap out of his lungs."
Jethro complied, trying not to allow himself to completely panic. Finally, Tony stopped coughing, breathing in heaving gasps interspersed with sobs. He cried loudly, tears rolling down his face.
"Hey, hey, you're okay now, you're alright," Jethro said standing back awkwardly, uncertain how much contact Tony would be comfortable with. That was made clear pretty quickly when Tony held his arms out, demanding to be held.
"Okay, kid, okay," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Tony's shaking form. He was startled by how thin the boy felt, even though he'd carried him into the hospital.
"Don't- I can't- please, stay," Tony sobbed, burrowing himself into Jethro's chest.
"Okay," Jethro whispered. He started stroking Tony's back, then gripped Tony's hand in his. He carefully spelled out 'OK' on Tony's palm, over and over again. "It's okay, Tony. Ssh, it's okay."
xxxx
The rest of the week passed quickly. Shannon and Jethro attended classes in the evenings, finishing the required hours in record time, their paperwork completed and turned in. They were visiting with Tony daily, together or alone, and Shannon had started to learn sign language. Tony was eating up the signs that Jethro was teaching him, eager to learn a way to communicate, and he was rapidly improving physically as well.
"J, they're saying Tony should be okay to come home first thing next week!" Shannon said excitedly, jumping up and down a bit.
"I know, and that's why you're officially banned from the office for the weekend. I'm going to be working on Tony's room."
Shannon frowned. "Do you think you'll be able to finish in time?"
"Of course, Shan. Besides, I won't be alone."
"No?"
"Nope. I've got McGee and Abby for sure, maybe Kate or Ziva."
Shannon laughed. "You wrangled your team into painting a bedroom during their weekend off?" She asked, shaking her head.
"Yeah, they're all excited about it. I told them that I'd let them come over and meet Tony once he's settled in and comfortable."
"You sly dog. You would've wanted them to meet him anyway."
"Of course I would," Jethro said, smiling and planting a kiss on Shannon's neck. "But they don't need to know that."
"Okay. Well, I'm going to go shopping, pick up some clothes and toys. You know, get the basics."
"Great. I've got the bedroom furniture and bedding and all that, so don't worry about that stuff. Oh, and Marcie called. Said there was an issue with your paycheck or something?"
"Damn it. I'll stop by the hospital before I go shopping, then. See you later, J."
xxxx
"If anyone can handle this situation, it's you guys," McGee said, painting carefully around the tape marking off the baseboard from the rest of the wall. "I mean, you're, well, you, and Shannon is kinda, I dunno, feisty."
Jethro let out a laugh. "That she is. Yeah, I think she's going to be good for him."
"So will you, Gibbs," Abby interjected.
"Yes," Ziva said, looking up from the section of the wall she was working on. "I believe that you will make a good father."
Jethro didn't answer, focusing instead on the wall.
"Do you think Shannon will be surprised?" McGee asked.
"Oh yeah. Definitely," Jethro answered. Abby squealed and clapped her hands, flinging paint over hers and McGee's clothes.
"Sorry," she said with a laugh, trying to wipe the paint from Tim's shirt and just smearing it worse.
"Good thing I hate this shirt," McGee muttered. Ziva laughed.
"You should hate it," she said. "It does not look filling on you."
"Flattering, Ziva," Tim said.
"That is what I said," Ziva answered.
"Hey. Stop arguing and paint," Gibbs barked, but none of them missed the smile he tried so hard to hide.
xxxx
Shannon tried to contain her irritation at having to stop by the hospital on a weekend, but she wasn't sure that she was really succeeding.
"Damn girl, you look ready to whale on something," Marcie commented. "Come on, we'll go get that paycheck figured out."
"Okay. This better not take too long," Shannon said, hoping that came out less like a growl than she thought it did.
"Sometimes I think you're channeling that husband of yours. Other times, I think he's channeling you."
Shannon barked out a laugh.
"Yeah, sometimes we're probably more alike than is healthy," she conceded, then frowned. "Where are we going, Marcie? Human Resources is the other direction, and we just passed your office."
"Oh, oops," Marcie said, but she didn't stop walking.
"Marcie?"
"Right here," Marcie said, opening the door to a conference room.
"What?" Shannon asked, frowning. Marcie rolled her eyes and walked inside. "Marcie-" Shannon started, following after her friend, but she was cut off by a loud 'Surprise!'
"What the hell is this?" Shannon asked, feeling her eyes well up. There was a large cake on the table, balloons scattered around, and a large pile of gifts.
"It's not really a baby shower, per se, but more of a 'New Mom Shower,'" Marcie explained, giving Shannon a quick hug.
"Wow, I'm-" Shannon paused, clearing her throat. "I'm speechless."
"That's a new one," someone snickered and everyone laughed, Shannon included.
"Wow, thank you so much," she said, surveying the room. Almost all her coworkers were there, Kate was there, even her sister had driven down. "Thank you."
xxxx
"Well?" Abby asked as soon as Shannon walked through the door. Kate and Shannon's sister Tammy followed close behind, arms laden with various bags and packages.
"You guys certainly did a good job keeping me in the dark," Shannon said with a grin. "I brought enough cake for all of you to have some."
"Was it fun?" Tim asked, getting a piece of cake and handing it to Ziva.
"Yeah," Shannon answered. "It was really fun."
Jethro looked at his wife, who was radiating with that glow that he'd seen before on expectant women, and knew that the 'New Mom Shower' had been more meaningful than the women who had thrown it would ever know.
"What about you guys?" Kate asked, grinning mischievously. "Looks like you got a lot done," she finished, looking at their paint spattered clothes.
"It's all painted," Jethro answered. "We'll let it dry overnight and then move everything in tomorrow."
"It looks great!" Abby added, and Ziva nodded.
"Well, I can't wait to see it," Shannon said. "Now who's hungry? I'm in the mood for pizza."
Jethro watched as his wife and friends clamored to order the perfect pizzas, smiling to himself. His family was here, happy and squabbling, and in the next few days it would become complete.
Things were looking good.
Tony watched her with wide, teary eyes, lower lip trembling.
"I can't hear you," he said, his voice cracking. "I want to hear you."
"I know, sweetie, I'm sorry," Shannon said, keeping up the physical contact. "Jethro is coming to see you today. He'll show you some sign language."
Tony sniffled.
"Oh, I have something for you. You can have it now that you're not in ICU anymore," Shannon said. She reached down to her bag and pulled out the stuffed rabbit Tony had clutched so tightly.
Tony's eyes lit up. "Bunny!" he cried, grabbing it eagerly. He nuzzled his face into the silky fur and held it there for a minute. A few minutes later, Shannon could see that Tony's shoulders were shaking.
"Oh, sweetie, you don't need to cry," she said, wrapping him in a hug.
"Sorry," Tony said loudly, impatiently swiping a hand across his runny nose. "'M not s'posed to cry."
"Tony," Shannon said, cupping Tony's chin in her hand. "It's okay. That's okay." She tried to convey what she was saying through her expression, tried to make Tony understand what she was saying, but she wasn't sure if it was working.
"I wanna go home," Tony whispered. "Please?"
"Not today, sweetie, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, baby," Shannon soothed, wrapping Tony up in her arms. "I'm sorry, babe."
Tony wriggled in her grasp, stubbornly pushing himself away from her.
"Tony, sweetheart, I know this is hard," Shannon murmured, rubbing Tony's back.
"I just wanna go home," he whimpered with a sigh. Shannon rubbed his back until she felt him relax into sleep.
xxxx
After work, Jethro called Shannon. His wife was distraught, concerned about Tony and how he was coping with everything and tearfully asked Jethro to go see him.
"Listen Shannon, I'll go talk to him. And I'm sure that Tony isn't lashing out at you personally. He's lonely and scared and confused."
"I know that, J, it's just hard, you know? He wouldn't even look at me."
"Shan, you know that that's going to come with the territory, right? When we're parents?"
"He wouldn't look at me because I can't talk to him and I can't take him home. That's not going to happen when we're his parents. But you're right, Jethro. I need to lighten up."
"No, just relax for now, Shannon. It's going to be hard for a little while, but then it will get better. Okay? He's going to have good days and bad days, and his bad days are probably going to be pretty low. But that'll make the good days that much better, right?"
"Yeah. You're right, J. Thank you."
"Not a problem. I'll see you when I get home."
Tony was lying listlessly in the bed when Jethro walked in, his bunny tucked in next to his side.
"Hey Tony," Jethro said, waving broadly to catch the little boy's attention. Tony hesitantly waved back, clearly uncertain if he trusted Gibbs or not.
"How you doing today?" Jethro asked, settling in to the chair beside the bed. Tony shrugged.
"I can't hear you," he said loudly.
"I know," Jethro answered, signing the words as he said them. Tony's eyes widened.
"Hi," Jethro signed, "My name is Jethro." He finger-spelled his name, watching Tony closely for a reaction. The little boy was watching him with rapt attention. Jethro pointed at himself and spelled his name again, then pointed at Tony and spelled out TONY. Tony's jaw dropped.
"Tony?" He asked. Jethro nodded. "Again!" Jethro grinned and did it again.
"Now you!" Tony shouted excitedly, pointing at Jethro. Jethro complied.
"Now Bunny!" Tony cried holding Bunny up. Jethro finger spelled BUNNY, then made the sign for rabbit, bringing his hands up next to his head and waggling them like ears. Tony giggled, and Jethro smiled at the unexpected sound.
"Like that, huh?" Jehtro said, repeating the sign. Tony laughed again and then copied the motion.
"Alright!" Gibbs cheered, signing as he spoke. "Great job!" He obviously and clearly clapped his hands to let Tony know that he was happy. Tony laughed again, then pointed to himself. Jethro carefully and slowly spelled his name out. Tony stuck his tongue out in concentration as he struggled to emulate Jethro's actions. He got T-O easily, then struggled on the N.
"Here, like this," Jethro said, leaning forward. He started to guide Tony's fingers when the boy snatched his hand away with a sharp gasp.
"Oh, sorry buddy," Jethro said, signing out 'sorry.' Tony turned his head away. "Okay, bud, but you can't get rid of me that easily," Gibbs said, pulling a book out of his backpack. He started reading it, making a big show of flipping the pages. He caught Tony looking at him sideways, but the boy looked away quickly when they made eye contact. Jethro continued reading until he felt a tugging at his sleeve.
"Oh, hey," he said, turning to face Tony. "Do you want to see?" He signed, lifting the book. Tony nodded.
"Book," Jethro signed, pointing at the book. Tony repeated the action. "Alright!" Gibbs said with a big smile. Tony repeated happily, giggling, then tugged at Jethro's sleeve again.
"Book," he signed, and Jethro chuckled.
"Okay, okay," he said. He opened the book to the first page. "This is a lion," he said, making the sign for lion. Tony copied him.
"He's walking in the grass," Jethro said, signing 'walk' and 'grass.' Tony again copied this.
"Okay, what is this?" Jethro asked, pointing at the lion. Tony quickly made the correct sign, giggling when Jethro reacted with an exaggerated expression of surprise.
"That's right!" Gibbs said, then laughed when Tony quickly signed 'walk' and 'grass,' watching for Jethro's face and laughing when he again feigned surprise. Tony's giggles abruptly turned into hacking, wet coughs that left him gasping for air and hunched over, one hand pressed to his chest.
"Hang on, buddy," Jethro said, leaning over the bed to press the call button. "Come on, Tony, breathe." He started patting Tony on the back, then quickly started pounding as his panic increased.
"I need help in here!" Jethro bellowed, relieved when a nurse finally rushed into the room.
"Keep pounding," she said, swapping Tony's nasal cannula with a mask. "He needs to get the crap out of his lungs."
Jethro complied, trying not to allow himself to completely panic. Finally, Tony stopped coughing, breathing in heaving gasps interspersed with sobs. He cried loudly, tears rolling down his face.
"Hey, hey, you're okay now, you're alright," Jethro said standing back awkwardly, uncertain how much contact Tony would be comfortable with. That was made clear pretty quickly when Tony held his arms out, demanding to be held.
"Okay, kid, okay," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Tony's shaking form. He was startled by how thin the boy felt, even though he'd carried him into the hospital.
"Don't- I can't- please, stay," Tony sobbed, burrowing himself into Jethro's chest.
"Okay," Jethro whispered. He started stroking Tony's back, then gripped Tony's hand in his. He carefully spelled out 'OK' on Tony's palm, over and over again. "It's okay, Tony. Ssh, it's okay."
xxxx
The rest of the week passed quickly. Shannon and Jethro attended classes in the evenings, finishing the required hours in record time, their paperwork completed and turned in. They were visiting with Tony daily, together or alone, and Shannon had started to learn sign language. Tony was eating up the signs that Jethro was teaching him, eager to learn a way to communicate, and he was rapidly improving physically as well.
"J, they're saying Tony should be okay to come home first thing next week!" Shannon said excitedly, jumping up and down a bit.
"I know, and that's why you're officially banned from the office for the weekend. I'm going to be working on Tony's room."
Shannon frowned. "Do you think you'll be able to finish in time?"
"Of course, Shan. Besides, I won't be alone."
"No?"
"Nope. I've got McGee and Abby for sure, maybe Kate or Ziva."
Shannon laughed. "You wrangled your team into painting a bedroom during their weekend off?" She asked, shaking her head.
"Yeah, they're all excited about it. I told them that I'd let them come over and meet Tony once he's settled in and comfortable."
"You sly dog. You would've wanted them to meet him anyway."
"Of course I would," Jethro said, smiling and planting a kiss on Shannon's neck. "But they don't need to know that."
"Okay. Well, I'm going to go shopping, pick up some clothes and toys. You know, get the basics."
"Great. I've got the bedroom furniture and bedding and all that, so don't worry about that stuff. Oh, and Marcie called. Said there was an issue with your paycheck or something?"
"Damn it. I'll stop by the hospital before I go shopping, then. See you later, J."
xxxx
"If anyone can handle this situation, it's you guys," McGee said, painting carefully around the tape marking off the baseboard from the rest of the wall. "I mean, you're, well, you, and Shannon is kinda, I dunno, feisty."
Jethro let out a laugh. "That she is. Yeah, I think she's going to be good for him."
"So will you, Gibbs," Abby interjected.
"Yes," Ziva said, looking up from the section of the wall she was working on. "I believe that you will make a good father."
Jethro didn't answer, focusing instead on the wall.
"Do you think Shannon will be surprised?" McGee asked.
"Oh yeah. Definitely," Jethro answered. Abby squealed and clapped her hands, flinging paint over hers and McGee's clothes.
"Sorry," she said with a laugh, trying to wipe the paint from Tim's shirt and just smearing it worse.
"Good thing I hate this shirt," McGee muttered. Ziva laughed.
"You should hate it," she said. "It does not look filling on you."
"Flattering, Ziva," Tim said.
"That is what I said," Ziva answered.
"Hey. Stop arguing and paint," Gibbs barked, but none of them missed the smile he tried so hard to hide.
xxxx
Shannon tried to contain her irritation at having to stop by the hospital on a weekend, but she wasn't sure that she was really succeeding.
"Damn girl, you look ready to whale on something," Marcie commented. "Come on, we'll go get that paycheck figured out."
"Okay. This better not take too long," Shannon said, hoping that came out less like a growl than she thought it did.
"Sometimes I think you're channeling that husband of yours. Other times, I think he's channeling you."
Shannon barked out a laugh.
"Yeah, sometimes we're probably more alike than is healthy," she conceded, then frowned. "Where are we going, Marcie? Human Resources is the other direction, and we just passed your office."
"Oh, oops," Marcie said, but she didn't stop walking.
"Marcie?"
"Right here," Marcie said, opening the door to a conference room.
"What?" Shannon asked, frowning. Marcie rolled her eyes and walked inside. "Marcie-" Shannon started, following after her friend, but she was cut off by a loud 'Surprise!'
"What the hell is this?" Shannon asked, feeling her eyes well up. There was a large cake on the table, balloons scattered around, and a large pile of gifts.
"It's not really a baby shower, per se, but more of a 'New Mom Shower,'" Marcie explained, giving Shannon a quick hug.
"Wow, I'm-" Shannon paused, clearing her throat. "I'm speechless."
"That's a new one," someone snickered and everyone laughed, Shannon included.
"Wow, thank you so much," she said, surveying the room. Almost all her coworkers were there, Kate was there, even her sister had driven down. "Thank you."
xxxx
"Well?" Abby asked as soon as Shannon walked through the door. Kate and Shannon's sister Tammy followed close behind, arms laden with various bags and packages.
"You guys certainly did a good job keeping me in the dark," Shannon said with a grin. "I brought enough cake for all of you to have some."
"Was it fun?" Tim asked, getting a piece of cake and handing it to Ziva.
"Yeah," Shannon answered. "It was really fun."
Jethro looked at his wife, who was radiating with that glow that he'd seen before on expectant women, and knew that the 'New Mom Shower' had been more meaningful than the women who had thrown it would ever know.
"What about you guys?" Kate asked, grinning mischievously. "Looks like you got a lot done," she finished, looking at their paint spattered clothes.
"It's all painted," Jethro answered. "We'll let it dry overnight and then move everything in tomorrow."
"It looks great!" Abby added, and Ziva nodded.
"Well, I can't wait to see it," Shannon said. "Now who's hungry? I'm in the mood for pizza."
Jethro watched as his wife and friends clamored to order the perfect pizzas, smiling to himself. His family was here, happy and squabbling, and in the next few days it would become complete.
Things were looking good.