<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">Gibbs had been on tenterhooks all morning... because he knew Kate was being released, and that she had a final consultation with her doctor today.  He wanted to be there with her -- but really, there hadn't been a time in the past three weeks that he hadn't wanted to be with her.  Those first few kisses had been the breaking of a dam -- the shattering of it, really.  The level of honesty and humility that he and Kate were sharing now was almost as heady as her kisses... which was a good thing, because it was difficult to get beyond kissing with someone hooked up to a heart monitor.  Damned nosy nurses.<br/>
<br/>
They'd talked -- well, typed -- more openly since her shooting than he had with another person since Shannon died, and he thought it might be the same for Kate and Dan.  She'd apologized to him, though he didn't think she needed to.  He'd been as much of a bastard as she'd been a hard ass, and for much the same reasons.  Her admission that she felt the need to apologize to Tony and Tim too, though... that had made Gibbs think.  Did he owe a similar apology?  Rules not withstanding -- and this thing with Kate was making him rethink a number of rules -- if he'd genuinely fucked up, he was man enough to admit it... especially to the men that he trusted at his back.  He'd still growl, and he'd still administer headslaps -- but they deserved to know that he did trust them both.<br/>
<br/>
God, how long was this going to take?  He'd known the time of her appointment, and it was long since past... was she alright?  Maybe he could text her?  He wasn't good at this texting thing yet, but he was trying - for her.  <br/>
<br/>
There -- there she was, coming out of the elevator... with a cane, and an expression of mixed determination and devastation.  <i>Oh, kitten,</i> he thought to himself -- because he could guess the news just from that look.  When she requested Ducky's presence, he was even more sure, and his heart was in his throat as he summoned the medical examiner.<br/>
<br/>
Despite knowing it was coming -- despite having reasoned with himself that this was the likely outcome -- having Kate hand over her gun and badge hurt.  He knew he wasn't the only one hurting, knew his team was shocked -- but his eyes were locked on Kate's.  NCIS had been her rebirth, her renaissance, as much as it had been his.  He knew what it cost her to walk away, and he hoped like hell that she could see it in his face, in his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
He wasn't surprised that she left as her messages were still playing, and he wanted to follow her -- but right now, his team needed him.  His family needed him.<br/>
<br/>
* ~ *<br/>
<br/>
Ducky took in Kate's appearance -- cane, bag, tight eyes -- and her destination -- out of NCIS -- at approximately the same moment he realized there was a gun and badge on Gibbs's desk, and that Kate's recorded voice was playing.  He listened as he approached the desk, his throat closing as the implications of all of this came clear.  "My poor, wee lass," he murmured.  He thought of her as family too -- perhaps not a daughter, because he'd never had the privilege of fatherhood -- but certainly as kin.  Hearing about her losses, that he had come to fill some of that gap for her -- it made him want to chase after her, embrace her, and then apply copious amounts of tea and shortbread.<br/>
<br/>
Tim sucked in a breath when she said his name, his eyes locked on the tablet.  That Kate had bought a copy of his book was -- big.  Really big.  That she wanted it autographed... he had to fight tears.<br/>
<br/>
When it was his turn, Tony already had his eyes closed, fighting for emotional control.  She thought she had to apologize for believing exactly the persona he'd portrayed -- as though she'd betrayed him by not being able to see through his masks.  It was so like her, to think that it was her fault that he was so good at hiding -- that he could fool even a profiler.  And he did want to be her friend... but he wanted his partner back.  It had been tough enough, trying to keep the team running and closing cases with Gibbs spending every moment he could at her side -- how could he do it knowing she wasn't coming back?<br/>
<br/>
Gibbs should have known she wouldn't leave him out of it -- should have expected she'd make good on her threat to expose his nickname for her.  Even still, he couldn't help but smile a little at the expression on Tim and Tony's faces.  When the message finished, he shut down the tablet -- he'd gotten rather good with it, in the past three weeks -- and stowed it in his desk drawer.  He'd take it to her as soon as he could get out of the Navy Yard.<br/>
<br/>
"Kitten?" Tim squeaked.<br/>
<br/>
"Rule 12?" Tony demanded.  "Boss, does that mean--"<br/>
<br/>
The headslap was gentler than normal, but it was still sufficient to silence Tony.  "Yeah, DiNozzo, that's what it means," Gibbs said.<br/>
<br/>
"Since when?"  Damn it, Tim hated it when he squeaked, but his damned voice was doing that thing again, where he sounded like an adolescent on helium.<br/>
<br/>
"None of your damned business," Gibbs started to say -- but paused.  "Just since she woke up.  Just... since we both got a wake-up call."</span></span>