Delilah was used to hospitals, and not in a good way.
As a kid, she was never in the hospital, and had the blessing of being what her mother called "the healthiest kid in Wisconsin".
And then the Conrad Gala had come and changed her life in ways she never could have imagined. Again her life had been turned upside down in a hospital, when she'd passed out; she'd thought it was wedding stress, but apparently it was actually the baby she was carrying that had caused it.
She had to steel herself against the smell of disinfectant that still brought back memories she didn't want or need, as the elevator doors opened. She made her way to the hospital room, and stopped outside of it.
He was her husband. It should have been enough. But she was scared of what she'd find inside those doors, scared of how the last three months had changed the man she knew. Over the course of their relationship, he'd been steady and unchanging while she had been through enough change for a lifetime. And he was her husband, but the first three months of their marriage had been spent with him trapped in a foreign country and her going through a pregnancy alone and trying to track him down, pulling every card, calling every contact, and using every resource to find him.
And she'd succeeded; she'd brought her husband home.
Why was she so afraid then?
She took a deep breath, fiddling with her wedding ring. Did he even still have his ring or had he been relieved of it by a spiteful rebel? It was a silly little thing, but the thought nearly brought her to tears. It was the hormones, she knew that, but she was so tired, and she wanted to curl up in her husband's arms and sleep. To do that though, she'd have to actually go into the room.
She felt the baby kick, and sighed, placing her hand on her stomach. "Hey peanut," she whispered. "Probably don't remember him, but daddy's home. I brought him home, just for you."
"Mrs. McGee." She turned around, only to see Gibbs leaning in the doorway to the next hospital room. He was still recognizable, though decidedly more rugged. He looked nearly broken, and it broke her heart. He looked nothing like the happy man who had stood up as her Man of Honor.
"Gibbs."
He walked over. "You look… you're glowing."
She shook her head. "I'm so glad that you're home, Gibbs."
That stopped him in his tracks, and she thought he would crumble right before her very eyes. At the last second, he seemed to pull himself together. "I'm sorry."
"What?" she asked.
"I shoulda forced him to stay on the helicopter… shoulda forced him to go home to you. You needed him alive, Delilah."
"It's not your fault, Gibbs," she said softly.
"Family first, Delilah. I failed."
"No." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "He's alive, isn't he? We brought him home."
"Nah." It was the first smile she'd seen on his face. The blue eyes hadn't lost their sparkle, but it had dimmed considerably. "You brought him home. Pretty heroic."
"Don't let the pregnant belly fool you, Gibbs. I'm still a DOD analyst. And he's my husband."
"Should go in and see him," Gibbs said, nodding to the door.
"What do I say to him?" she asked, looking down at her hands.
"You know, when you were paralyzed, Tim asked me that same question. And I'm gonna tell you what I told him."
"And that is?"
"Just talk," he said, shaking his head as he smiled at her. He turned to go back into his room, but paused. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Gibbs. And… I brought you home too. This baby needs a grandfather."
He gave her a smile, a genuine one. "Thank you, Delilah. Now you go ahead." His door shut, and she was alone in the corridor again.
And then the door opened to Tim's room, and she flinched in surprise, only to see Tim himself standing there. And he was staring at her, just… watching her.
There was a hunger in his eyes, as he looked her over, his eyes widening when he saw the prominence of her belly. The baby kicked again, and she pressed her hands to her belly, silently begging please calm down.
"Delilah," he breathed, and he was alive and whole and in front of her, and then his arms were around her, his mouth on hers, and the beard was scratching her face, but she didn't care, because he was there. He pulled out of the kiss, still clutching her tightly as he could manage while still maneuvering around her belly. He was murmuring something in her ear, and after a few seconds, she realized he was just whispering "I'm sorry" over and over again.
"It's okay," she said, and when he pulled away to look her over, there was a tearful grin on his face.
"You're beautiful." It was barely a whisper.
"Did they hurt your eyes in Paraguay?" she teased.
"I'm serious. I thought about you every damn day, and about the baby, and I'm… I'm sorry. I love you."
"I love you too. Now come on, we're making a scene out here." He stood at her words, and walked into his hospital room. She followed him in, wheeling up to the bed, where he sat down.
"They told me it was all you, Delilah. You brought us home."
"I did."
"After what I did, you should have left me there."
"Hey," she reached out and grabbed his hand. "I'm not sorry."
The smile he gave her wasn't real, and he wouldn't meet her eye. "I don't deserve you."
"Tim, hey." She squeezed his hand, and he met her eye. "I relish being your wife."
"I've… I'm a different person. I've changed, Dee. I'm not… I'm not the same man you married."
"I know who I married, Tim. I'm not afraid."
The smile was faint but real this time, before fading again. "And what about Peanut?"
"You deserve a chance to meet your son. Or daughter." She smiled.
"Did…" His eyes asked the question his words couldn't.
"They offered. I could have found out. But I couldn't… not without you."
"I should be dead. If it wasn't for you, I would be dead."
"You're alive, it's a miracle, and I will not be taking it for granted."
"I don't… I really don't deserve you anymore, Dee."
"Honey," she said, feeling the baby kick again. "Come here. Kneel down."
Confused, he did so. She grabbed his hands, and placed them on her belly. His face registered confusion, and then as the baby kicked again, his eyes went wide. His mouth dropped open, as he looked up at her in awe. "Dee… honey. That's amazing." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her belly. "Hey peanut," he whispered. "I'm home. And I'm sorry, and I'm never going to leave again. I'm dedicating every day to you. I'm going to stay right here with you and your mom. If she'll let me." He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. She was close to tears herself as she nodded.
She placed her hands on top of his, their hands together cradling their future beneath their fingertips. "You feel that, Tim?"
"Yeah," he breathed.
"We created a baby, Tim. We're going to be parents. And it's amazing, and scary, but it's happening. We're so lucky. I'm lucky to have you. Please, stay with me."
"I will. I promise."
"That would be enough, Tim."
He reached up, kissing her again. "You and Peanut are enough. I love you, Dee."
It would be okay. It would be enough. It had to be.