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As he stood there in the doorway, watching the amazing sight before him, he took a deep breath. He had keep his emotions in check… but, that was until he saw a familiar pair of blue eyes looking back at him... and his heart sank. His little boy… but not a little boy anymore… was sitting in a chair next to a hospital bed, holding a new addition to their family. Both of them smiled at each other, and for a moment, his mind raced to all of the fondest memories of his ‘little buddy'…
When you need picked up 'cause you fell down
Need a piggyback right or a birthday clown
Need a song to take you to sleepy town
I'll be there
He held his baby boy close, as he softly hummed the words to a soft song that came into his mind. It's what his boy liked… and it always got him to sleep. This night was no different, but it would be the last time for a long time. As his little guy drifted off into dreamland, he softly kissed his temple and whispered, "I love you, Timmy… I'll miss you so much… but, please know this: wherever you are, whatever you're doing… in your heart, in your dreams, in your soul… I'll be there…"
Need a castle built out of ocean sand
Or a rainbow chaser, I'm your man
I'll be there
Vacations were always his favorite times for him to spend more time with his kids… especially with his 5-year-old little boy, who was always so fascinated by the sand that crunched under his tiny feet when they went to the beach.
"Daddy…" the little boy announced loudly. "The sand makes my toes disappear…"
Looking down at his own feet, he smiled and replied, "Same here, buddy…"
Without warning, his youngest son giggled and ran down the beach, urging him to run after him. Once he caught up, he took his boy in his hands, squeezed him tightly into a hug, and kissed his temple, making him laugh more.
"Daddy…" his son spoke up after catching his breath. "Are you going to come to the amusement park with ‘Ony & Mommy & me?"
"Yep... sure am, buddy…" he replied back with a smile. "I'll be there…"
I'll be a tear dryer
A paper airplane flyer
A monster runner-offer if you get scared
I'll be a sap
I'll be a sucker
A story maker-upper
Anytime, anything, anywhere
I'll be there
He sat there in silence. He had lost his first science fair, and it sucked. He couldn't believe that he had worked so hard, and it was all for nothing. He'd lost to some kid with a stupid volcano…
"Why always a volcano?" The young boy wondered aloud. "Why do they always win?"
"For what it's worth, Timmy…" he heard a voice state. "I thought your homemade radio was a great project…"
Looking up, he saw a face that surprised him. His father was standing before him, in his military fatigues… with a smile on his face. He got up from his seat and rushed over to the man, who picked him up & held him close as he started to cry.
"What are you doing here, Dad?" The 11-year-old wondered through his tears.
"What am I doing here?" The man responded. "You think I'd miss my little genius' big day…"
"But, I didn't win, so you came for nothing…"
"It doesn't matter, if you won or not, Timmy… I'm still proud of you… and, remember what I told you… anytime, anything, anywhere for you, buddy… I'll be there…"
When you break your heart or skin your knee
Need a big ol' hug or a bowl of ice cream
I promise you can count on me
I'll be a heart mender
When his son came home from his high school classes one afternoon, he knew something wasn't right. Instead of going into the den like he normally would to play on his newest game system, his ‘little genius' walked past him & his wife straight upstairs and into his room. Looking at Shannon, she shrugged not knowing what was up. That was code for ‘Go & see what's wrong with your son'. He walked the same distance to his youngest son's room and knocked, hearing a voice from within state, "It's open…"
When he entered, he saw his youngest son sitting on his bed, tossing his older brother's favorite baseball with one hand and catching it with another.
"Hey, buddy…" He spoke up softly. "What's going on?"
"Nothing…" was the solemn answer that came from his son's mouth.
"That true, Tim?"
"No…"
"Wanna talk about it?"
Silence. That gave him his answer. As the older man started to leave, he heard a sad voice ask, "Does it always have to hurt so bad?"
"What, son? Why does ‘what' always have to hurt so bad?"
"Death…"
This concerned him. Who had died? Why did he care about death all of a sudden?
"What happened, Tim?" He asked worried about what the response would be. "Start at the beginning…"
"This morning…" his boy started, as tears started to form in his eyes. "Before school, I went over to see Maggie… and she looked so good, Dad… she looked like an angel… she looked like my angel again…"
Maggie Ellis… she was Tim's first love… she was his perfect match… they were inseparable. Then, she got sick… AML… acute myelogenous leukemia… and it hit her hard & out of nowhere. After some many rounds of chemotherapy, her prognosis was only ‘optimistic', or at least, that's what everyone thought… including Tim.
"During 6th period today, I got called down to the office…" he continued, this time as the tears began to fall. "When I got there, the nurse and one of the principals, Mrs. Desman, were waiting for me. Maggie's mom had called to tell them about her… and since, they knew that she & I were ‘close', they wanted me to know as well…"
He didn't want to know what his son was going to say next, but he had a gut feeling it wasn't going to be good… he grabbed his son and held in an embrace, seeing the boy begin to crumble, "Dad… she died…"
As everything began too much, he sobbed openly in his father's arms, "The doctors think that she only stayed alive to say ‘goodbye' to me… she told me she'd never leave me, Dad… she said she'd love me forever… God, why did she have to die? Why? I don't think I can live without her…"
"Oh, buddy…" Gibbs answered with a tender voice, trying to soothe his son's pain. "I think you can… you have to live on ‘for her'… you have to make each day a good day, whether she's in it or not… I think she would have wanted you to be happy… and, I promise you this, Timmy: every day that you're in my life, you can count on me always being there in yours…"
A prayer sender
A hoper and believer when it's all up in the air
A strong and steady shoulder
I'll be a secret holder
Anytime, anything, anywhere
I'll be there
When he graduated from M.I.T., he walked through the crowds of parents and relatives looking for his own. When he finally made it a clearing in the groups, he saw two familiar sets of eyes looking back at him. Moving over to them, the graduate hugged the two men close, feeling the emotions overwhelming all of them.
"God, I wish Mom & Kelly were here…" He stated, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Yeah, Mom would have loved to see her little Timmy as a grown man…" Tony responded, getting rid of his own tears. "And, Kelly would have been so proud that she had an older brother who was so smart…"
"She already knew all of that, Tone…" Gibbs replied, tearstains trailing down his chiseled jaw. "They both did…"
That's when he pulled his youngest son into a tight embrace, "God, Tim… I am so proud of you… my ‘little genius'..."
"Thanks, Dad…" Tim replied softly. "Thanks for being here today…"
"I told you, buddy… ‘anytime, anything, anywhere for you, I'll be there'… always remember that… always…"
If you need a frown turned to a grin
Or you need a hand just to hold your hand
It was the day that he wasn't expecting… the baby had decided to come early, and Tim was nervous. This was his first child… and he couldn't screw up as a father. He had seen how Tony was around his son, Caleb: so patient, so kind, so generous... And, he had seen how his own father was with him, his brother & his sister as kids… so he had to be a good example for his child. Abby told him that he make a great father, because his own ol' man was a great role model. This day he would have to prove it, but first, he needed someone to calm him down… to hold his hand even, telling him that everything was going to be alright…
Need a daddy or you just need a friend
I'll be there
Tim pressed a number in his cell, hearing it ring, and hoping the person on the other end would respond quickly. Soon enough, he got his answer: "Yeah… Gibbs…"
"Dad…" He replied back.
"Tim… what is it? What's wrong? What time is it?"
"Dad, I don't know… it's early… I need your help… I need it fast…"
"Calm down, buddy… where are you?"
"The hospital…"
"‘The hospital'? What are you doing at the hospital?"
"Dad, I'm here with Abby… it's time…"
The phrase "It's Time" hit him hard and woke him up, making him realize the gravity of the situation, "Tim, I'm leaving now… I'll be there soon… I promise…"
I'll be there
As soon as he excited the elevator on the maternity floor, he saw a familiar pair of blue eyes pacing outside in the hallway. When those eyes met his, they met another halfway and embraced firmly.
"Dad, I don't think I can do this…" Tim murmured into his father's shoulder.
"Well, it's too late to say that now, genius…" the older man replied back. "You can do this… you will do this… you need to be there for Abby!"
"You think I'll be a good father?"
"Naw, buddy… I expect you to be a great father…"
"Just like my own…"
"Exactly right, buddy… exactly…"
I'll be there
More than 24 hours later, the loud wail of a new person entering the world echoed down the hallways of the maternity ward. A nurse came down to the waiting area, where everyone else was sitting, anxiously awaiting any news, and stated, "Agent Gibbs?"
Both Tony & Jethro stood up, confusing the woman. She looked down at the notecard in her hand again, and responded, "Leroy Jethro Gibbs?"
The older man stepped forward and walked with the nurse down the hallway to Tim & Abby's room, and as she opened the door, he saw an amazing sight. His little boy with a gigantic smile on his face… holding a little bundle in his arms… a little ‘pink' bundle.
"Hey, Grandpa…" Tim stated tenderly to his father. "Come & meet your new grand-daughter…"
As he walked over to his youngest son, he was handed the most beautiful baby… with deep brown, almost black curls, cherub cheeks and porcelain skin… she was magical…
"We named her Riley…" His son spoke up again. "It was one of the names that Mom liked, when she was pregnant…"
"But, she chose Kelly instead…" Gibbs retorted, caressing his granddaughter's little cheek with his side of his finger. "She's beautiful, you two… just beautiful…"
"Thank you, Gibbs…" Abby retorted with a tired smile. "But, you still haven't been heard the best part… tell him, Timmy… tell him…"
"Alright, Abby, I will… Dad, we decided that her full name was going to be Riley Anne Shannon Gibbs… Mom would have gotten a kick of it, I think…"
"I agree, Tim… I totally agree…" Jethro responded, before placing a tender kiss on the baby's forehead. "Welcome to the world, Riley… our angel…"
I'll be there
When Abby had fallen asleep and his father had gone home for a while, Tim held his daughter close and started to hum a tune, only familiar to two people. He smiled to himself upon hearing the melody he remembered from his childhood coming from his own mouth, as a tear fell down his cheek. His dad was his impression of what a good father should be… of what a good man should be. He was his mentor… his rock… and, now, he would be the same for his daughter. Softly, Tim whispered to his little girl the only words he knew that mattered to him the most in his whole world, "Riley, my angel girl… anytime, anything, anywhere for you… just know this: I'll be there…"
-fin-