Chapter 226: Preparations
So, instead of an appointment with Dr. Draz the next
afternoon, they ended up having a chat with Leon.
Like every Friday a case hasn't gone hot, they've got
Shabbos at Tony and Ziva's so that's soon enough to explain what's going on to
the family. Let them really talk about it.
But, since they know maternity leave starts no later than
the 18th, Abby talking to her boss about it sounded like a good plan, and for
while he's off, Tim has a few ideas of something he'd like to do, but he needed
to float them by Vance before doing them.
"Agent McGee, Mrs. McGee, what can I do for you?"
Tim looked at Abby, but she didn't seem to want to talk, so
he said, "We had another doctor's appointment last night. So, we now know
that no later than 8:00 on 18th, Kelly's coming out."
Leon raises an eyebrow. Abby had let him know that things
were not going as smoothly as they had hoped a month ago. So he's not sure if
this is good news or not, but whatever it is they're still here and not in the
hospital, so it can't be all bad news. "Congratulations. I take it you are
up here to revisit your maternity leave plans?"
"Thanks, Leon. And yes. They'd really like it if I
didn't move around more than strictly necessary. So unless she decides to head
out sooner than expected, I'm thinking the 12th will be my last day. That
should give Tom enough time to get a feel for the lab and up and running on his
own."
Vance nods at that.
"And we need to re-do the job offer for Draga,
hopefully he'll be able to start on the 15th instead of the 1st like we'd
agreed," Tim adds.
Vance nods at that as well. "And you're still thinking
of taking four weeks off?" he asks Tim.
"Yeah. I've got the time, might be more depending on
how things go, but I don't assume I'll be entirely off."
"I thought the reason we hired Draga was so you could
be completely off."
"Well, yes, among other things. It's not MCRT work I'm
thinking of doing."
Vance looked at him curiously.
"I figure I'll need permission from you to do this. I
want to hack Cybercrime. And everyone who works down there. On any device they
work with. So, here, at home—"
Vance laughing cut him off.
"Sir? Bad plan? Privacy issues?"
Vance smiled at him and shook his head. "It's a fine
plan, and I'll be very interested to see what your results are, however, it's
not a plan you are going to execute with a brand new baby in the house."
"Sir?"
Vance smiles, shaking his head, chuckling. "Take it
from someone who's done this before, McGee. You're not going to want to do
anything more complicated than buying the groceries those first few weeks. So
don't. I especially do not want you trying to hack Cybercrime when you're not
at your full potential. Wait until you're rested again, then go after it,
because I am intensely interested in seeing what you'll find when someone with
a real A game goes up against them."
"Yes, sir."
"If I remember correctly, you're the one who built the
main protective firewall that NCIS's systems hide behind."
"Yes, sir."
"So, shouldn't that tip them off to who is doing
this?"
"If they're paying attention. I'm very interested in
who comes to visit you about being hacked by the MCRT."
"And if anyone does?"
"Tell them it's a security check. The only ones who
notice I've been there will be the ones who are really on the ball."
"Then I hope to have twelve people come visit me."
Tim highly doubts that will happen but he says, "Yes,
that would be nice, wouldn't it?"
He kissed Abby, who headed for the elevator and from there
down to the lab, and then went to his desk. He was standing on the landing,
leaning, forearms against the railing, looking down at the Bullpen, and
something hit him: where were they going to stick Draga?
Sure while he was out, Draga could use his desk, but
theoretically he'd come back and it'd be the five of them for at least five
months. So, they're going to need a place to put him.
And really, there are only two spaces, next to his desk or
next to Gibbs' because it's not like the far side of Tony or Ziva's desks can
be modified.
He's thinking that if they take the divider out between
Gibbs and the empty space next to him, push the flat screen and printers flush
against the back wall, and angle the desk in the empty space toward them, that
would give them…
A really awkward work space, and the only good thing about
it would be that Draga wouldn't be exiled off from the rest of the group.
 |
| Another angle |
Take the divider out between his desk and the next one…
And it's still awkward.
And he likes his divider, damn it. It's got all his stuff on
it, and it's not like Gibbs uses his.
Square off Gibbs and Ziva's desks, shove them both closer to
the dividers and squeeze one in between them?
No. They'd be tripping over Draga and his stuff and it'd be
a mess.
He more felt Tony stop next to him than saw him. "What
you looking at?"
"Figuring out where we're going to put Draga. We'll
have to stick him somewhere for half a year."
"Good point."
"You gonna take Gibbs' desk again?"
 |
| another view |
"No. Don't need the symbol of it this time. He'll take
yours or his, whichever one of you leaves first." Tony scans over the
space. "Do we really need two big screens? Let alone four printers?"
"What are you thinking?"
"The big screen and printers behind Gibbs's desk. I've
never seen us use the printers. And he's got what, a fax machine back there?
When was the last time we used that?"
"Good point. Ziva doesn't need that TV behind her desk
either. I certainly don't use the one next to my desk."
"Yeah, not like we need it to catch the news anymore.
We've all got live streaming on our phones."
"So, get rid of the desk behind his with all that
stuff. Move the big screen next to the other big screen. Square her desk off so
it's flush against the divider. Shove his desk over a bit toward hers, and
stick Draga's desk flush against the divider, facing it?"
Tim thinks about that, it'll do. "Sure. And when Gibbs
leaves Draga can fully unpack and just expand into the space."
"He'll be back toward us."
"Nothing's perfect, and it's better than the first four
plans I came up with. So, feel like helping me with some rearranging?"
"We don't have to do it now, do we?"
Tim shrugs. "Well, no. I guess not." Draga won't
be there for at least two more weeks, maybe, if he can start sooner, he might
not. They'd agreed on the first, and he might be busy until then. So, it
doesn't have to happen right this second.
Tony looks at him. "You're nesting again, aren't
you?"
"Probably. But that's not all of it." They stood
there, staring over the bullpen, as Tim told Tony what had happened last night.
"This is good, right? Kelly on the outside, we're all
happy and excited, right?"
"I am, or would be, but Abby's terrified, so that's
hard."
"Oh."
"Yeah. And I get a c-section is more dangerous."
He looks up at the ceiling. "But, it doesn't feel that way to me. Surgeons
and precision and everyone knows what they're doing and…"
"You've got a set game plan, know what's going to
happen, and there feels like less of a shot of unexpected."
"Yeah. Three incisions, reach in—"
"Okay, you can stop that right there. I do not need
nearly that much detail on how this works. Talk to Jimmy about that."
"Jimmy's the one who told me that. He's actually done
three of them."
"Of course he has. I'm perfectly comfortable with the
idea of being the guy who goes nowhere near the business end of things when it
comes to how babies get out."
Tim laughs at that. "Ziva's gonna love that."
Tony bumps Tim's shoulder with his own. "Ziva doesn't
want to get anywhere near the business end of things, either."
Tim laughed at that, too.
"Come on, lets let Gibbs and Ziva know what's going
on."
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