A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys, but I'm back now, YAY! Here's your new chapter.
Finally, Abby's caffeine-fuelled patience had run its course.
"That's it!" she proclaimed, rising from her position next to McGee on the squashy brown leather hospital waiting room sofa, causing him to awaken from his light slumber.
"What's 'it', Abs?" McGee asked in a slightly slurred voice, stretching and rubbing his eyes.
"I'm going up to Ziva's room. Maybe someone can at least tell me her condition," Abby answered, hands on hips.
"Abby, I'm sure there's nothing wrong," he tried to convince the Goth, looking longingly at Gibbs and Ducky, who occupied the other sofa as they slept, and also Palmer, who had very recently occupied the single armchair, drooling dribbling down his chin and he snored softly.
"Come on, McGee," Abby sighed, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the hospital elevator.
McGee yawned loudly as the doors closed, imprisoning him in the metal cage, further and further away from his warm seat on the sofa.
"Why are you so sure there is something wrong, anyway?" the Agent asked, removing the sleep from the corners of his eyes.
"It's been, like, fifteen hours, Timmy, and we haven't even heard anything. Tony's been one of my best friends for ten years, and Ziva…I love Ziva. I want the best for them, you know that."
Tim sighed, knowing there was no arguing with Abby once her mind was made up, and it was.
"Excuse me, Ma'am," he asked the timid young receptionist upon their arrival to the maternity ward, not wanting Abby to scare the girl as she probably had the first time she had come up here, pigtails and spiked collar, escorting a pregnant Israeli-assassin-turned-American-federal-agent. "We'd like to check Ziva David's condition, please."
The girl nodded. "Miss David's doctor signed the birth certificate a half hour ago, Sir. They haven't decided on a name quite yet."
"Can we see her?" Abby asked impatiently, drumming her fingers on the desk.
The girl nodded nervously, and McGee practically had to chase Abby down the hall before she stopped dead, right outside Ziva's room.
"Abby, what's—" he tried to ask.
"Sh!" she snapped harshly, holding up a finger. She leaned a little closer to the door, listening.
There was yelling coming from the room, and they were voices that were all too familiar.
Tony's voice rang out first.
"I've known you for five and a half years, we've been together for months now, and only recently have I discovered I have fathered not one but two of your children!"
Abby's jaw dropped to the floor and her chest tightened. Her heart began to race. She heard a whimper from McGee and he tried not to scream from shock. Then they heard Ziva's voice.
"I was trying to do what was best for Willow!"
"Willow," the two eavesdroppers whispered in unison.
The listened intently through the rest of the conversation, and it felt like an emotional rollercoaster just listening to it. Abby couldn't imagine how her friends felt right now, and McGee just looked nervous.
Finally, when they heard silence, the dared to peek into the room, to see Tony and Ziva joined in a kiss. Not wanting to invade their privacy (any further than they had already done anyway), the observers, tiptoed out of the room, hoping not to be seen or heard.
"Hey!" Tony's voice barked. "McSpy, get in here, you too, Abby."
They scurried back in, looking guilty.
"How much of that did you hear?" Tony asked seriously.
"Uh…from the 'fathering two children' bit," McGee answered, fearing his own safety.
Tony put his hands in his head for a few seconds, and then turned to a silent Ziva for guidance. She nodded slowly.
"This is Willow Eve David-DiNozzo," Tony said proudly, stepping aside to reveal the miniature human that lay in Ziva's arms.
"Aww, she's so cute!" Abby squeaked, gently touching the little one's cheek.
"And she's my biological daughter," Tony added. "Ziva was artificially inseminated with sperm I donated five years ago."
"Sperm can last that long?" McGee asked stupidly.
"Longer, actually, Timothy. There have been pregnancies that were successful with sperm donated up to twelve years prior," said a voice.
All heads turned (except Willow's, of course), to see Ducky standing in the doorway of Ziva's room. Abby and McGee sighed a sigh of relief in fear that Gibbs might have been with him.
"Where's the Boss?" Tony enquired.
Silently, Gibbs stepped into the room, looked at Tony coldly, and cocked his head back towards the door. He turned, grabbing Ziva's hand and planted a kiss to her skin. "You gonna tell them about Ori?"
"I am tired of lying. Tired of pretending," she replied.
"Maybe you're just plain tired," he said, touching her cheek, then leaving her side.
Once outside, Tony inhaled deeply and prepared to face Gibbs. He saw the expression on his boss's face and didn't really know what to make of it.
"She's a beautiful child, Tony," the older man said kindly.
Tony grinned. "She really is, Boss."
"She's yours."
"Yeah. Artificial insemination."
"Why the lie?"
"To be honest, Boss, I don't even think Ziva knows why she did what she did. It was an awful mess, a lot of wounds, but that was the inspiration for her name, Willow. It means—"
"Symbol of healing," Gibbs finished.
"Look, Boss, I don't know how many rules I've broken these past few months but I guess I just hope you're OK with everything."
"Tony, look into that room. Look at Ziva."
Ziva's now frizzy hair framed her face, her cheeks were flushed and there were circles under her eyes, as she was simply exhausted, but the smile on her face outshone all of those imperfections. The way she held that little life in her arms, close to her heart, clutching her protectively, was just so beautiful.
"Have you ever seen her happier, Tony?"
The man in question shook his head.
"You gave that to her, and I care about Ziva too much to even notice that you had to been a few rules to get there. Rule Number One: never screw over your partner. You obeyed this rule, Tony, and I'm proud of you for that."
"I thought Rule One was 'never let suspects sit together'."
Gibbs just smiled, and Tony smiled right back. Gibbs had finally said he was proud of Tony. Tony felt like he had finally earned the approval of the man he admired so much.
If only he knew he had had it all along.
A/N: it was going to be longer but I hadn't updated in too long. I will try to get the next chapter up for you tomorrow, if not Friday. Please review!
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