<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#99ff99">She couldn't hear, but she was as perceptive as ever, Tim realized.  He sighed.  <i>You know the Gibbs gut?  The infallible Gibbs gut that has saved our lives -- and kept innocent people out of jail -- more times than we can count?  It's been firing in overdrive.  You know that little half frown of his?  Happens any time he catches Director Shepherd watching us over the railing.  And my gut's firing too, even if I don't have the same track record Gibbs does. There's just something off.</i><br/>
<br/>
He might have said more, but was forestalled by the reappearance of Gibbs -- looking cleaner, fed, and better rested.  McGee quickly erased the text on the tablet about Director Shepherd, then spoke into the microphone to greet his boss.<br/>
<br/>
"I thought Abby was on next?  Nevermind.  I got this microphone hooked up -- it automatically types your words for Kate to read.  Makes a few mistakes, but it's faster than typing."  McGee gestured to Gibbs with the microphone.  "Come on, I know it's a gadget, but it doesn't bite."<br/>
<br/>
Gibbs stepped up to the side of Kate's bed and took the microphone in one hand.  His other hand flexed lightly -- he wanted to reach for her hand, as he had when she was unconscious, but that felt like an invasion of privacy now.  "I talked Abby into letting me take the next shift."<br/>
<br/>
"Uh.  Right."  Tim suddenly felt like he was an intruder.  "I should go... back to NCIS," he said, and within ten minutes, had left Gibbs and Kate alone.<br/>
<br/>
"Didn't mean to scare him off," Gibbs said into the microphone.</span></span>