Chapter 9

After Leann was settled in the hospital bed, the nurse bustled around attaching leads to Leann's skin so they could monitor hers and the baby's vital signs throughout the night. Once everything was in place, the nurse left and Gibbs pulled up a chair to sit close to the bed.

"You should go home Jethro, I'll be okay," Leann said.

"Not goin anywhere Lea. Wanna be here with you, make sure your safe."

Leann didn't try and argue with him, she knew from experience that once he had made up his mind about something there was no changing it. You had to pick your battles with Gibbs very carefully because he very seldom gave in, plus, she really didn't want him to leave, she just didn't feel like she should expect him to stay. So, Leann chose to simply let silence envelop them while they both contemplated their change in their relationship.

It hadn't been said in so many words, but Leann had no doubt in her mind that Gibbs now saw them as a couple and the thought thrilled her to her very soul. She had not had a man look at her the way Gibbs had in the emergency room since her husband had been killed almost two years before. Her mind was racing in a hundred different directions but finally settled on one thing after a bit, the new life she carried in her womb.

"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked startling Leann out of her musings. She didn't think she had made any noise, but apparently she had.

"I was just thinking about how I am going to explain this baby to everyone. It was embarrassing enough telling you and Ducky but I can't hide it forever, it will become obvious soon."

"Why do you have to explain the baby to anyone, it's nobody's business," Gibbs told her.

"I know that, but you know as well as I do that the rest of the team and others are going to be understandably curious and it will only be a matter of time before someone asks the obvious question."

"And that would be?" Gibbs said earning him a narrow eyed stare from the strawberry blonde.

"Jethro, you can't seriously tell me you don't know exactly what everyone except Ducky will be thinking."

"Yeah, they're gonna want to know if…"

"They're gonna want to know who the baby's father is," she burst out cutting off his words before he could finish. "How can I face my friends and tell them that I got so drunk that I can't even remember the act of conceiving?" she finished and buried her face in her hands.

"Hey," Gibbs said moving from the chair to sit beside her on the bed. He gently reached out and pulled her into his arms stroking her hair as he murmured in her ear. "You don't have to tell them that. No one has to know what Donnie did to you that night," he told her.

"What else could I tell them?" she asked nuzzling her face into his neck, sending a shiver of pleasure through him. Cupping her face in his hands, he raised her head so she would look at him and know that he was very serious about what he was about to say.

"Tell them the baby is mine," he whispered and waited for her reaction.

"But we just admitted how we feel about each other, I can't ask you to take on the responsibility of a child. I love you Jethro but I can't ask you to claim another man's child."

"You didn't ask Lea, I offered and it's not like we don't know each other. We've essentially been dating for almost a year. We've been spending two or three nights a week together, getting to know each other after work at the diner."

"I know, you know me better than anyone has sense Logan died, I've shared things with you that I haven't shared with anyone else," she said and it made Gibbs love her even more that she had trusted him that much. He had shared stories and memories of Shannon and Kelly with her, something he thought he would never be able to do and yet he had found himself feeling no qualms about sharing with Lea.

"Lea, I haven't felt this way about a woman since I met Shannon. I never thought I could again but when I saw you unconscious on the floor, my feelings, my desires, my needs all became crystal clear. You don't make me feel like I have to hide the pain I still feel at losing my girls."

"I don't want to take Shannon's place Jethro, I don't want you to forget them. I know you will always love them just as I will always love Logan. I have room enough in my heart too love you too and I think if I'm reading you right, you feel the same way about me."

"I do. I love you Lea and I want to be your baby's father, if you'll let me. I know I'll screw up and make mistakes but I would really like the chance to make a life with you," Gibbs told her and the tears that had been shimmering in her eyes began to fall.

"Hey, don't cry," he whispered wiping the tears away and kissing her lips softly.

"They're happy tears Jethro. I can't imagine a better father for my child than you and if you're sure, then you've got us both for the long haul."

"I'm sure," he told her and kissed her softly once more but when he started to pull away, Lea wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. Tangling his fingers in her curly locks, he cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss.

With a soft whimper, she opened her mouth to him and their tongues battled for dominance as they shared their first real kiss. When the need for oxygen became a necessity they broke apart and Gibbs moved to lay beside her wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"Sleep Lea, I'm not going anywhere. I'll keep you and our baby safe," he said and with a contented sigh, Leann settled against him her hand over his heart and soon fell asleep. Gibbs was only a few minutes behind her and let sleep claim him only when he was sure she was settled.