Chapter Thirteen: Eye Of The Storm
Several Weeks Later...
Pushing the bedroom door open, McGee grinned at the sight of his lover sprawled out on the bed, the covers kicked to one side as he snored softly.
"Tony," he called quietly as he made his way over to the bed. "C'mon. Time to get up."
A quiet groan escaped the older man as he turned onto his side, pulling the pillow down over his head. "Don' wanna," he muttered.
"Come on," McGee tried again, tugging the pillow away from Tony's face. "We're gonna be late."
"Not goin'."
"Hey..." He said quietly, frowning as Tony forced his eyes open. "What's the matter?"
"I feel weird."
"Weird? Weird how? What's wrong? Should I call Dr. Sim--"
"No. Just... Probably because I didn't sleep well. He wouldn't keep still," Tony complained, rubbing his stomach, frowning as their baby kicked again.
Leaning over, McGee pressed a gentle kiss to his exhausted lover's forehead as he tugged the covers up over him. He knew Tony had been having trouble sleeping over the last couple of weeks, though it seemed to be getting worse as his due date neared.
"Go back to sleep," he said. "I'll call Gibbs and let him know we're not coming in."
"Tim," Tony sighed, shifting onto his side in an effort to find a comfortable position. "You can't stay home. He's already gonna be pissed that I'm not coming in."
"I'm not leaving you here alone when you feel 'weird', T. You're too close to--"
"I still have two more weeks," the Italian reminded him miserably. "I'll be fine."
McGee looked at him nervously. "You promise you call if you start feeling worse?"
"I swear." Tony said, raising his fingers in the Boy Scout salute.
"Okay..." He said, kissing his lover on the forehead. "I'm gonna go shower then."
Nodding in response, Tony shifted again, grunting when the baby kicked in protest. "Stay still, huh?" He muttered, glaring down at his belly as he tried desperately to find a comfortable position. "Just an hour. One hour of uninterrupted sleep and then you can go to town. Please?"
He sighed loudly when their son paid absolutely no mind to what he was saying. "Yeah, I know. I want you out too, but you still have another two weeks, so knock it off."
Stepping out of the bathroom several minutes later, McGee frowned when he watched his lover shift yet again on their bed, his face set in a mask of frustration.
"Can't get comfortable?" He asked sympathetically.
"No."
Sighing softly, the younger man crossed the room, crouching down next to the bed as he reached out, running his fingers through the Italian's hair. As excited as he was about the upcoming birth of their son, he hated the toll the pregnancy was taking on Tony's body.
The dark circles stood out prominently under Tony's eyes, a testament to just how little sleep he'd been getting.
McGee rubbed Tony's back reassuringly. "You're *sure* you don't want me to stay? Maybe make some tea? He seemed to like that last time, remember?"
"No..." He groaned, leaning back against his lover's hand. "Go to work. I'll be fine. How much longer can he kick me? I mean, really? He has to be about done."
OoOoOoO
Two hours and seven missed phone calls later, Tony gave up on trying to sleep and pushed himself up out of the bed slowly, groaning as the baby gave him a particularly painful kick. "We're really going to need to work on your listening skills," he muttered as he made his way into the bathroom slowly, frowning at the sound of the front door being pushed open.
"I told you to go to work, Tim!" He yelled, sighing in irritation as he glared down at his stomach. "I see where you get your poor listening skills from. Must be hereditary."
Finishing up in the bathroom, he headed back into the bedroom, jumping slightly when he spotted his raven haired Goth perched on the end of his bed. "Don't you know it's not nice to ignore your phone calls?"
"Oh great. A babysitter. Hey Abs."
Cocking her eyebrow at him, she pushed herself to her feet and crossed the room quickly, wrapping him in a hug. "You had us worried."
"I'm fine, Abby. Just--"
"Tired?"
"Exhausted."
"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically as she stood on her toes, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.
"Not your fault," he muttered, wincing slightly as he pressed his hand to his stomach. "If he'd just... Chill out for a bit, I might be able to get some sleep but apparently he's not interested in that."
Pulling away slightly, Abby touched his friend's stomach, grinning as she felt the baby kicking against her hand. "He's too much like you, T. Usually, you're an uncontrollable ball of energy too."
"Yeah, but..." he trailed off as the kicks slowed into gentle flutters before stopping all together. "What the hell? What are you, the baby whisperer?"
She offered him a sheepish smile before pulling her hand away, reaching for his. "C'mon," she said, tugging him towards the bed.
She waited patiently as he sank down on the bed, a quiet groan escaping him as he laid back against the pillows.
Climbing onto the bed beside him, Abby shifted slightly, wrapping her arm around him as she rubbed his stomach gently.
"Y'know," Tony mumbled sleepily, closing his eyes, "this never works when Timmy does it. Maybe he likes him even less than me."
Abby giggled quietly as she leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Get some sleep, Tonyboy."
A quiet, content sigh escaped him as he snuggled close to the pillow before he drifted off to sleep.
----
The Goth stilled her hand against her friend's belly, smiling at the fact that he was finally sleeping. She leaned down and kissed his cheek, preparing to climb out of the bed when she felt Tony's stomach tense slightly under her fingers.
She held her hand there for a moment longer, until she felt the muscles relax. "Hmm..."
Narrowing her eyes slightly, she pulled her hand away and climbed out of the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping man. She made her way into the living room, plucking her phone from her bag before she dialed the number quickly.
"Yeah, Gibbs."
"Hey, how much longer are you guys gonna be at the scene?" Abby asked as she made her way back into the bedroom, keeping her voice down as Tony slept.
"Don't know. Why?"
"Is McGee right there?"
Gibbs took a few steps away from the younger man, stepping behind the MCRT truck. "Not anymore."
Abby smiled, shaking her head slightly at her lover. "I think Tony's in labor. I can feel the contractions. They're not strong enough to wake him up yet, but I'm gonna take him to the doctor soon."
Gibbs listened carefully, watching his Junior Agent out of the corner of his eye. "Take care of him, Abs. We'll be back as soon as we can. Keep me updated."
"Yep. Will do," she promised before she snapped the phone closed.
Walking back over to the bed, Abby sank back down onto the mattress as she dialed the number to the doctor's office. She spoke quickly, keeping her voice down as she explained the situation.
"Monitor him," Dr. Simmons advised. "But you can let him sleep. He'll wake up on his own when he's ready."
Abby thanked the doctor and hung up the phone, curling up on the bed behind her friend, keeping her hand resting lightly on his stomach.
Tony woke up a few hours later to a sharp pain in his back. "Oww..." He groaned.
Rolling onto his back, he was surprised to see Abby leaning against the pillows next to him.
"Didn't expect you to still be here." He said once the pain in his back subsided.
"Doctor's orders." The Goth grinned, pulling out a little pad of paper. She wrote some numbers down on it and set it aside. "How're you feeling?"
"Best sleep I've had in weeks. How long was I out?" He asked, stretching his arms above his head and yawning.
"A couple hours." She said, climbing out of the bed and offering her hand. "Come on, to the doctor's office with you."
The Italian rolled back onto his side and burrowed under the blankets. "Don't have an appointment til next week, Abby. Then I go in on the 20th for the C-section."
Leaning over, she kissed his cheek gently before she pulled the covers back down. "Uh huh. Plan's changed. She wants to see you today."
"What?" He asked as he allowed her to pull him up. "W...why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, T. Everything's fine," she assured him as she tugged him to his feet.
"Then why do I have to go see her?"
"Because I'm pretty sure you've been having contractions for the last four hours and she just wants to--"
"But t... That means... No. I'm not ready, he still has two weeks left!"
"Hey," Abby scolded gently, cupping Tony's face in her hands. "Don't go getting all worked up, okay? No matter what happens, you're going to be fine."
"B...but he's early! I thought the first babies were supposed to be late! What if something's wrong, or--"
"Anthony DiNozzo! Deep breaths. Everything is okay. Let's get you dressed and we'll go get checked out and you can see for yourself."
Not trusting his voice, Tony nodded mutely and allowed her to pull him towards the bathroom, pausing at the closet long enough to pull out his favorite pants and hoodie.
Stopping in the doorway, the Italian gripped the door frame with a quiet groan as another sharp pain shot through his lower back.
"Tony?"
Dropping his head to his chest, he didn't speak, clenching his teeth against the pain until it subsided. When he lifted his head, Abby frowned at the look of terror on her friend's face.
"I don't wanna do this."
"It's a little late for that." Reaching for his hand, she gave him a reassuring squeeze. "It's going to be okay."
OoOoOoO
"Okay," Dr. Simmons said with a bright smile as she finished her examine. "Looks like this little guy doesn't want to wait two more weeks."
"W...what?" Tony asked hoarsely, his eyes wide as the doctor stood.
"I want you to head on over to the hospital. Get settled in. Everything looks really good so we're going to let this go and see how it progresses on its own."
"Wait... 'On its own'? You mean like... Pushing and all that good stuff? I thought with male pregnancies, they had to have C-Sections."
"Not at all. C-Sections are the preferred way, of course, but in the event that they go on their own, we usually allow the men to continue to labor unless a problem arises."
"Yeah, as much fun as that sounds, I'd really rather not. Can't we skip that and go right for the C-Section?" Tony asked.
"Don't be such a wimp, T," Abby teased as she helped him off the examination table.
Chuckling quietly, Dr. Simmons patted his arm. "We can if you really want, but I would rather we let this go for a little longer and see where we are. Though it sounds scary, a regular birth would be much easier for you in the long run, I think. The recovery time is significantly shorter and--"
"See? You'd be able to get back to work sooner."
Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking up again, his hands shaking slightly. "I...I don't know. I think that...wait. You said less recovery?"
"By at least six weeks."
Despite the fact that he was scared out of his mind, the Italian nodded curtly, silently giving his consent to forego the C-Section. At least for right now.
"Alright then," Dr. Simmons said with a bright smile. "You go on over to the hospital and get settled in. I'll be in to see you in just a bit."
----
"Pack it up," Gibbs barked, rubbing a hand over his tired face as he bit back a sigh of frustration. He'd spent the entire day with the remaining two members of his team working a house in Manassas only to be stonewalled by the local LEOs when they tried to take control of the body.
They'd won, of course, in the end, but only after nearly an hour long pissing match with the Chief of Police.
All in all, it hadn't been a great day.
A quiet growl escaped him as his cellphone began to vibrate obnoxiously in his pocket. Pulling the offending device out, he flipped it open, not bothering to check the caller ID.
"What?" He barked loudly.
"I'm pretty sure you know better than to answer the phone like that," Abby scolded, her cell cradled between her shoulder and her ear as she drove.
"Been a long day," Gibbs responded curtly. "Any news?"
"You could say that," Abby said as she glanced over at her passenger. "We're on our way to the hospital now. How much longer are you guys going to be?"
"We're about to head out now. How's he doing?"
"Scared."
"I'm not scared," he heard Tony protest, the slightest hint of a whine in his voice.
"Tell him I'll get McGee there as soon as possible. You stay with him."
"I will. Just... Hurry, okay?"
"Yeah. I will."
Closing the phone between his fingers, Gibbs slipped it back into his pocket before he crossed the yard quickly, dropping a hand onto his Junior Agent's shoulder.
"Ziva." Plucking the keys for the truck out of McGee's hand, he tossed them to the Israeli. "You drive back."
"Uh...boss, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. My stomach is a little--"
"You're with me."
"Oh." McGee tried desperately to hide his confusion as Gibbs turned and made his way back to the Sedan.
"Sometime today, McGee!" Gibbs called over his shoulder.
Jogging over the car, McGee slipped into the passenger seat, barely getting his seatbelt down over his chest before Gibbs backed out of the driveway, his tires squealing against the pavement.
Gibbs watched the younger man for a moment as he lifted his hips slightly, pulling his cellphone from his pocket.
"Don't bother," Gibbs offered, his eyes never leaving the road.
"Huh?"
"He's not gonna answer."
"What do you--?"
"Abby's on her way to the hospital with him now."
"T...the hospital? Why's he going to the hospital?"
"Oh, I don't know, McGee. Probably has somethin' to do with the fact that he's about to give birth."
"But... No. He's not... He still has two weeks to go."
"That's the funny thing about babies. They come when they're ready."
"Oh my God. I knew I... I should have stayed home today! Something must be wrong, right? He wasn't feeling right and I went and left him anyway and I should have stayed home but he told me not to and--"
He didn't expect the headslap, but he definitely felt it.
"I do not have the patience or the energy to deal with two hysterical men today, McGee."
The younger man's eyes were wide as he reached up to rub the back of his head. "I can't help it boss! What if something's wrong?! I thought people usually went late during their first pregnancy, not early!"
"A lot of people do, but not always. Shannon..." the silver-haired man trailed off, swallowing the painful lump in his throat at the memory of his first wife. "Shannon went early with Kelly and she was... She was perfect. Doesn't mean anything's wrong. Just means your kid is gonna be as stubborn about doing things his way as DiNozzo is."
"I don't know if that's comforting or horrifying."
Offering his Junior Agent a rare smile, Gibbs clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Everything's gonna be fine."
OoOoOoO
The ride to the hospital was quite possibly the longest ride ever, McGee decided once Gibbs finally pulled up in front of the entrance.
"Go on," the older man said, shooing him out of the car. "I'll park the car."
Not needing to be told twice, McGee climbed from the car, slamming the door behind him as he ran in through the front doors, not even bothering to stop at the front desk.
He could feel his heart pounding faster as he took the stairs two at a time to the second floor.
He was slightly out of breath by time he reached the second floor and he could feel his hands trembling slightly as he stepped out of the stairwell.
"Can I help you?" One of the nurses asked as he passed by the desk, a kind smile on her face.
"Uh... Yeah. I'm looking for--"
"Timmy!"
Glancing down the hallway at the sound of Abby's voice, McGee sighed in relief as he waved in thanks to the nurse and made his way over to the Goth.
"I was just coming out to call you," she said, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "Where's Gibbs?"
"Parking the car. How is he?"
"Pretty freaked out," Abby admitted. "The contractions are starting to get worse and he's just... Really scared right now."
"I should have stayed home today!" McGee moaned, running his hand through his hair.
"Hey," she said, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, okay? You can't go in there and fall apart on him, Timmy."
"I know. I'm just..." Taking a deep breath, McGee closed his eyes for a moment, trying to hold himself together. "Okay. I'm good now."
"Are you sure?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "Because I mean it! If you go in there and get him even more wound up, you're going to have to answer to me!"
"I'm--"
"Abby!"
McGee's eyes widened at the sound of his lover's pained cry. "What's--?"
"The contractions are starting up again." Slipping past him, the Goth gave him a shove in the direction of the room. "Go."
McGee stepped into the room hesitantly, watching the older man writhe on the bed, trying to get comfortable.
"Abby!" Tony cried again, gripping the side of the bed as the contraction became stronger.
"I'm here, T." The Goth said from the doorway, watching as McGee slowly made his way to the bed. "Got a surprise if you'll open your eyes for a second."
The contraction subsided just as the younger man took Tony's hand in his.
"Hey, you." He smiled down at his lover, seeing him open his eyes and relax.
"Hey." The Italian managed, collapsing against the pillows and lacing his fingers with McGee's.
"How are you feeling?"
"I don't wanna do this any more," Tony whimpered, tears filling his eyes.
"I know," McGee said as he squeezed his hand. "It'll be over soon and then you can finally give him that stern talking-to about keeping you up for the last month and a half."
"I don't ever wanna do this again. You have to promise you'll never try to negotiate your way on top again."
"I promise."
Abby smiled as she watched the couple holding hands as they talked quietly. Gibbs stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"How are you?" He asked, resting his chin on the top of her head.
Abby smiled. "I'm alright. His contractions are getting stronger, shouldn't be long now."
Gibbs nodded and pulled his girl back closer to his chest, watching the couple in the hospital room.
McGee leaned down and kissed Tony tenderly, running a hand through his hair. "Everything's gonna be alright, T. It's all gonna be over soon." But as he watched his lover cry out as another contraction gripped his body, he couldn't help but think it wouldn't be over soon enough.
Chapter End Notes:
A/N: I told you guys that reviews help me write faster :) I've been saying since the very beginning that my very special bffl Kelley deserves co-writing credit, but I'm serious about it this time. This chick has helped me so much with this chapter, it's unbelievable. So everyone give a big huge "THANK YOU, KELLEY!" :)
Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I was so inspired, that I literally worked on this chapter all day long so I could get it out. I hope you guys enjoy and don't forget, reviews help me write faster! This chap is proof :) And remember: Tony loves reviews more than tummy rubs and McGee.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I was so inspired, that I literally worked on this chapter all day long so I could get it out. I hope you guys enjoy and don't forget, reviews help me write faster! This chap is proof :) And remember: Tony loves reviews more than tummy rubs and McGee.