Author's Note:

Thank you so much for all the reviews, PM's, favourites and followers.

You guys are awesome!

Here's the next chapter…. Enjoy…

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Tony was not prepared for the sight that greeted him when he entered the ER room allocated to Gibbs.

"Ducky?! What's wrong with him?" Tony demanded.

Gibbs lay on the bed, trashing and growling out expletives. He seemed out of breath and, to be honest, a little out of his mind. The nasal canula was misaligned and his eyes were blood shot. But what shocked Tony the most was that his wrists were bound to the railings at the side of the bed and his torso was strapped down! In addition a nurse was struggling over him.

"I'm afraid Jethro's having an allergic reaction to some medication. He assaulted his doctor a few moments ago." Ducky responded pointing at the blood splatter on the bedsheet.

"Shit! And what are you trying to doing?" Tony demanded turning to the nurse.

"I need to insert this IV line so that we can start administering medication to counter the allergic reaction, but I can't find a vein with him trashing like this. Do you think you can help me hold him down or else I will have to call security?" She asked in desperation.

Just then McGee entered the room and gawked.

"We'll help." Tony said as he stepped forward. "McGee secure his right side while I hold him down on the left."

"What?" McGee started to ask.

"Later, Tim. Just help me now." Tony ordered.

"Thank you." The nurse said as she held the IV needle at the ready.

Gibbs growled, jerking, trying to get away from McGee and Tony.

"Boss, you need to calm down." Tony spoke to him, trying to make eye contact.

"Don't… touch… me!" Gibbs growled in warning, looking from Tony to McGee to the nurse.

"We don't want to hurt you. So let's play nice and let this nurse hook you up to some happy meds." Tony said.

"What's wrong with him?" McGee asked.

"Wrong… with… me…!" Gibbs growled. "Let… me… loose… and I'll… show… you!"

"Sorry Boss." McGee murmured.

"Enough chit chat." Tony said looking at the nurse. "You ready?"

"Yes." She replied.

Tony looked at McGee and nodded. Both men leaned forward and held Gibbs down. Tony spoke to Gibbs, but his words were not audible over Gibbs' growling. As the nurse plunged the needle into Gibbs' arm, he cursed and swore. She secured the needle with more tap then was necessary and adjusted the flow of meds prior to plunging two syringe fulls of meds into the IV bag.

"Done, thank you." The nurse said. "He should start feeling better within the next 30 minutes to an hour. He might even doze off to sleep. I'll be back to check on him in a few minutes."

"Good." Tony said as he and McGee carefully pulled away from Gibbs. If looks could kill, both he and McGee would be dead by now, because Gibbs's eyes were shooting daggers at them.

"Take it easy Boss. You'll feel better soon."

"Get… me… out… of here…" Gibbs growled, trashing his secured arms.

"Hey!" Tony shouted startling everyone in the room.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs warned.

"Settle down, Boss. I don't want you hurting yourself." Tony said. "You need to pull it together so that you can get back to Ziva. She needs you!"

"Zi…Ziva…" Gibbs growled but something in his voice changed. "God … Ziva!"

Tony sensed when Gibbs' thoughts cleared for a moment.

"Yes Ziva. The woman you love. The woman who needs you now."

Ducky placed a hand on Tony's arm to stop him from saying more.

"Ziva." Gibbs seemed to be calming down.

He stopped trashing and jerking and his muscles seemed to relax.

"Good, that's it Jethro." Ducky said as he adjusted the nasal canula. "You rest now while I have a word with Anthony and Timothy."

"Why was he given meds in the first place?" Tony asked as Ducky led him and McGee to the opposite end of the bed.

"Jethro suffered a severe panic attack…."

"No way." Tony exclaimed.

"What!" McGee gasped.

"Young men as difficult as it might be for you two to comprehend, your fearless leader is still a mere mortal being and yes prone to the annoying ailments that assail us at one time or another in our lives." Ducky replied.

"Sorry Ducky." McGee replied.

"I just never expected Gibbs of all people to have a panic attack." Tony replied.

"The shock of finding out that he is about to become a father was no doubt the trigger for the attack." Ducky said.

"Do you know if his had panic attacks in the past?" Tony asked.

"Not in the last 15 years that I've known him, but I'll review his medical files once I get back to NCIS." Ducky replied.

"He seems to be settling down." McGee said and everyone turned to look at Gibbs. His body twitched intermittently, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was more even.

"How long will he be out?" Tony asked.

"Ziva needs him but she wants him to get back to her on his own without any prompting." McGee said. "I hope he'll be okay in time for the birth of his child."

"I'm sure he will be. Will you two stay with him while I go and check in on Ziva? I can only imagine how unsettled she must be." Ducky asked.

"Sure Ducky." Tony replied.

"I'll get some coffee." McGee offered as he and Ducky left the room.

Tony approached Gibbs and shook his head.

"Phew what a morning Boss." he said. "I know it's a shock and I'm sorry that you and Ziva had to find out this way, when your baby is almost here."

Tony reached for the restraint across Gibbs chest and released it.

"I know that once you calm down, you will see things differently." Next he released the wrist restraint on Gibbs' left side.

"You will be an amazing dad," Tony said as he moved to Gibbs right side and started releasing the restraint. "And I should know, having had first-hand experience of your brand of parenting. So there is nothing to worry about, Boss. I'll be here for you and Ziva."

As Tony was about to pull away he felt Gibbs wrap his hand around his forearm.

"Boss?" Tony was surprised to find Gibbs' eyes open and on him.

"Thanks… Son…" that said Gibbs' hand slipped and his eyes closed.

Tony was stunned. All he could do was take Gibbs' hand into his and squeeze it gently to convey how much Gibbs' words meant to him.

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Ducky entered Ziva's room to the sounds of her gasping and Abby panting.

"That's it," Abby said. "This one is particularly strong."

Then she panted again.

Ducky waited until the contraction passed, before calling out from behind the curtain that blocked the view into the ward.

"Ziva, may I come in."

"Ducky, yes." Ziva replied.

Ducky stepped forward and on reaching the bed he gave Ziva a grandfatherly kiss on the cheek. Then he turned to Abby and returned her hug.

"How are you doing my dear?"

"I don't know." Ziva replied.

"That's understandable." Ducky said. "This is a surprise to all of us but most especially you and Jethro."

"I just feel so stupid for not even realizing that I was pregnant!" Ziva said in frustration.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ziva." Ducky said, patting her shoulder. "A lot of woman go through this."

"But Ducky, my cycle was regular. I did not pick up any weight. I am still on the pill!" Ziva said.

"Let's calm down and try to see when you actually fell pregnant."

"I've been working on that Ducky." Abby chirped in. "So my best guess is you fell pregnant in late October or early November last year.

"Wasn't that around the time you got shot?" Ducky asked.

Ziva pondered for a moment. "I got shot in October and was on medical leave until mid-November. But what has that got to do with this?" she asked pointing at her abdomen.

Ducky smiled. "Everything my dear. You were on a cocktail of meds during that time and I suspect this made your contraceptive pill ineffective and hence you conceived a child."

"Of course. There are so many studies out there that confirm that this can happen." Abby said.

"But my cycle was regular and I had no symptoms."

"But you did suffer from nausea for a while after the shooting." Abby reminded her. "And you ate ice cream throughout December despite the sub zero temperatures."

"And you probably thought your cycle was normal but you were only spotting. This is a common occurrence during pregnancy."

"But I didn't pick up any weight. I trained as hard as I always do. I ate and drank whatever I wanted to." Ziva's voice cracked. "I took no special care or pre-natal vitamins or anything and I'm terrified this baby won't be …."

Now the tears rolled down in earnest.

"There, there Ziva. You are getting ahead of yourself." Ducky said, taking her into his arms.

"And Gibbs…" Ziva continued. "He just left me…"

"Shh, Ziva. He'll be back. I know he will." Abby said.

"But he shouldn't have left me in the first place. How could he do this to me?" Ziva gasped just as another contraction started to vibrate through her body.

"I will never forgive him for this. Never."Ziva gasped as she pressed a hand to side.

Abby looked at Ducky and he looked back, concern clearly edged in their faces.

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