Something to remember- [When words are italicized and in brackets, they're being said in Arabic.] I can't even begin to try to speak anything in Arabic or type it up, so we're cheating :D Things are going to move along quickly from here. I haven't outlined anything, but there's definitely less than ten chapters ahead of us. I hope everyone here in the U.S. has a great Independence Day! Be safe and grateful, and as always, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
As It Seems: Chapter 35
Abby was pacing in her lab, and Tim was leaning against the evidence table, trying desperately not to chew off his fingernails.
"Is it 8:30 yet?" Abby asked, stopping to grab Bert absentmindedly from the desk and wrap her arms around him.
"Five minutes," Tim said.
"Okay," Abby said. "Let's go. I can't wait anymore. I know we-"
"Abby," Tim said, running his hands down her arms and pulling her close. "We all agreed we'd wait until they came in and got settled. We're not even sure they're coming in. Give it a few more minutes. I'm sure Parke will be calling us any time now."
"But we're not-"
"Abby- breathe." Abby squinted at Tim, hating that he was right. Both teams, along with Ducky and Palmer, had been summoned to Abby's lab by Vance between meetings in MTAC, and they'd all agreed that they would give Tony and Gibbs some space to deal with Leyla's death. They were told that until the two contacted them, all questions would go to Vance. Tim had never been so happy to hear Gibbs' voice as when he'd called them to check in. They had no idea of what to do next, but they hadn't wanted to go to Vance, because they knew Tony and Gibbs would be pissed if they looked to him first.
The second part of their pledge had been initiated by Parke and backed by Ducky, and that part still stood. They would wait to contact them about their personal connection to the case until they came in the next morning, and they would let them explain as much or as little as they were ready to explain.
Abby hadn't liked that at all, but she understood the wisdom behind it. Tim had taken her phone from her the night before and locked it in his lockbox. She was pissed at him and threatened to destroy the box, and it took some serious maneuvering on Tim's part to distract her. It ended well, but she still hadn't completely forgiven him no matter how many orgasms she had.
Ducky suddenly appeared at the door with Jimmy.
"Duckman!" Abby greeted.
"Hello, Abigail, Timothy. I just received the call from Gregory that Anthony has arrived, alone. He said that he will be going into MTAC with Agent Dorneget in twenty minutes, and that if we're to offer our condolences, now would probably be the best time."
Abby wasted no time running out the door past everyone. They followed her, knowing that she'd probably leave them to take the stairs if they didn't meet her at the lift. They waited for it impatiently, and then boarded together. When they got out, Tim gave a quiet call to Ziva, who eagerly got up with a relieved sigh and came around to join them. They joined Parke, Ned and Elly in the bullpen. Ned moved to stand next to Elly who came around his desk to lean against the front of it. Parke came and stood protectively next to Tony, reminding all of them without a word of what he'd said the night before about overwhelming him.
"We wanted to check on you," Tim said with a shrug and a small smile. Tony smiled back, looking around at everyone.
"Well, I appreciate that you all waited until now. Last night was... challenging. We told Amira about Leyla, and it was pretty much what you'd expect when telling a four year old she'd lost her mother." Tony swallowed. "She's sleeping a lot though, so not having the phone ring constantly was pretty great. Thanks."
"Is she eating okay?" Ducky asked.
Tony nodded. "She is. Pineapple, pizza, and cheesy cauliflower last night, cereal and juice this morning. Is the sleep thing normal?" he asked.
"Everyone grieves differently," Ducky said with a nod. "For now, it is perfectly normal. If it continues past a couple of weeks, you might want to look into counseling for her. You may want to do that anyway. She has lost her mother to a criminal, and now she will have questions as both of her guardians deal with criminals for a living."
"She's already having them," Tony said with a grimace. "We'll talk later."
Ducky nodded. "My door is always open, either here or at home."
"Thanks," Tony said with a smile. He noticed how Abby was being unusually quiet, and he stood up, coming around his desk to hug her tightly. She squeezed him back so hard that he could barely breathe, but he let her.
"I was so worried!" she said. "I just wanted to know how you guys were doing, and no one would let me call you, and I just…"
"It's okay, Abs. And like I said, I really appreciate you guys giving us the time to figure things out last night," he stepped back out of her embrace, his ribs screaming in relief. "We're hanging in there. You know," he said, leaning back on his desk to address the entire group. "A couple of weeks ago, Jethro told me that he was Amira's legal godfather, and that Leyla had made sure to add me to the will so there wouldn't be any issues with both of us raising Amira if something happened. It kind of got me and Jethro thinking about possibly wanting a kid of our own one day."
"What?!" Abby exclaimed, voicing the expression on most everyone else's faces. "You didn't tell me that!"
"We weren't ready to yet, and we didn't want any pressure in one way or another. It was something that had to be our decision, but we were pretty sure we were going to do it."
Elly's voice broke through the shocked huddle. "I thought I'd been hallucinating when I remembered you saying something to Ducky about it in the lab the night we'd been drugged. We were in the car yesterday with Amira, and suddenly it just came into my head, and I was like- No way!"
"You knew?!" Abby said, turning to Ducky.
"Yes. Like Anthony has stated though, it was a decision only he and Jethro could make, and they wanted to make it without the pressure of the opinions of those in their lives. There are a lot of things to consider: their ages, their career, their work schedules, the stigmas of society of two men raising a child, the safety of that child with both parents being in law enforcement. No matter how much love there is to give, those other things must be considered, and they had to do that without anyone else interfering."
"This isn't how we wanted to form a family," Tony said softly. He looked up to see Elly leaning so that he was up against Ned, and Ned was leaning on Elly. He smiled, approving of their obvious reconciliation. He looked around the group again. "Jethro will be bringing Amira by later. We have a lot to figure out, and we need to talk to Vance about what we're going to do until we find a sitter or nanny that can work with our schedules. We'd really love to get her into a year-round preschool, but they usually don't start until August."
"She was already in school?" Ziva asked. "How old is she now?"
"Four. She'll be five in December."
"How did she get into a program so early?" Tim asked.
"She was in daycare at Walden, and they moved her up."
"Well, if she's comfortable in daycare, can't you put her back in daycare?" Abby asked.
"That's only for so many hours a day. With our schedules, we still need someone who can pick her up from daycare and take her back to the house. They will also need to be on call for when we both have cases that run over, so to find someone with that much dedication to our needs, with that much flexibility, a nanny just might be the best option."
"Would they live with you?" Ned asked.
"I don't think so. I'm not sure I'd be that comfortable with that. There's a lot to go into it," he said casually, trying to change the subject, but he noticed that Ned was thinking it through. If there was anyone who could take into consideration all of the pieces of their puzzle and find a solution, he could. He'd have to run it by him later.
"Anthony, how is Jethro doing?" Ducky asked. Everyone stopped and looked at Tony.
Tony nodded. "Pretty well, considering. He went over to the house this morning to get some creature comforts for Amira. When I left they were starting to put them up in her room."
Tony knew Ducky was watching his body language more than listening to his words. He'd pick up on the barely conceivable change in voice that said he was worried about him, but no more than a lover would be. He'd see the forced nonchalant crossing of his ankles as he leaned against his desk, the tightness around his jaw that said Jethro was grieving, and that he wasn't doing so alone. Their eyes met a moment longer and Ducky gave an almost unperceivable nod.
"If you want, I'd be happy to hang out with her while the two of you talk to the Director," Abby said.
"I'm not sure what she's going to be comfortable with yet. We'll play it by ear, though, and if she's up for it, that would be great. Thanks," Tony said with a smile.
"It's almost time, Boss," Ned said quietly.
"Okay team! That's my timekeeper telling me time's up." Again, Tony had no idea how Ned was so sure of the time without looking at his watch, but he figured there had to be a clock somewhere he had eyed to notice. He was glad, because he was ready for the family powwow to be over. As much as he loved everyone, he needed to focus on something else other than the idea that Amira was going to be without her human security blanket with him at work.
"Let me know when they get here!" Abby said.
"Oh! You wanna see something?" Tony said, taking out his phone. He pulled up the picture of Jethro and Amira during the cootie war that morning, and showed her.
"Oh, my gosh! They're so cute together!" she cried. The group gathered around her as Tony suavely moved behind his desk and out of the line of fire to check his email one more time before going to MTAC.
"She seems to be doing quite well," Ducky said with a grin.
"Walk with us for a minute?" Tony asked. Ducky nodded and Tony took his phone back with Ned and Ducky walking near him on the way to the second floor.
"Something on your mind?" Ducky asked.
"It's just that Amira for some reason… she's clinging to me specifically when she's upset. When she needs to cry, when she woke up in the middle of the night, it was me she wanted. I don't know why. She knows Jethro so much better than me. They got into this playful mood this morning, and then a few minutes after Jethro left to go get her stuff from the house, I was, you know, getting her breakfast together, and she started crying and asking me all sorts of questions about the bad guys and it just…" Tony trailed off, not sure how to explain himself.
"It's devastating," Ducky supplied.
The three of them were standing together outside of the door to MTAC, and Tony sighed and nodded.
"How do you react when she turns to you?"
"I hold her, talk to her, try to calm her down, let her know that we're there, that we'll always be there, and that we'll protect her. Jethro does the same thing, but she prefers to cling to me when she's upset."
"Sounds like you're doing everything just as you should," Ducky reassured. "It is completely normal for people to compartmentalize their grief, and especially for children to do so. When I arrived yesterday, you were picking up Amira from school, correct?"
"Yes," Tony replied.
"You have been with her since the very first moment of this whole terrifying and heartbreaking ordeal. You being who she turns to could be as simple as that. Jethro will no doubt find a way to share the load. He is well acquainted with grief, and he will be able to share that mutual understanding with her as time moves on. You and Amira now share a similar burden of losing your mothers rather aearly in life. You have the experience to make you naturally compassionate. Just keep being there for her as best as you can, and when you need to in turn unload that burden you take on, make sure you're doing so."
Tony nodded. "Thanks, Ducky."
"I'm never too far if you need me," Ducky said, resting his hand on Tony's shoulder a moment, and then turning to let the two men get to work in MTAC. When Tony didn't go immediately in, Dorney looked at him curiously.
"You okay, Boss?" he asked.
Tony sighed and turned to Ned. He nodded, looking the younger man in the eyes. He could see more life in them than he had seen in days, and he was relieved. "Are you ready?" he asked.
Ned smiled. "Definitely."
"Good. I have a favor to ask of you," he said.
"Anything," Ned said, his curiosity piqued.
"After we figure out what's going on in here, I need to go interrogate Dwahalini. I'd like it if you went in with me. I know you're overloaded with this, but you've researched this bastard more than any of us, and I think that having you in there will help remind me that there's an actual human being on the other side of that table, and not just someone I want to kill with my bare hands."
Ned watched Tony's expression carefully, trying to read him the best he could, and everything Parke had ever taught him about body language said that Tony was being completely and brutally honest with him, to the point it distressed him to even ask the favor.
"Not a problem," Ned said. "Whatever you need me to do."
Tony nodded. "Thank you."
Ned nodded back, then tilted his head towards MTAC. Tony nodded, and Ned turned to scan his eye. He felt like a different person suddenly as the blue light ran up and down his iris, and he took a deep breath. He felt honored that Tony would ask him to be in interrogation with him, that he would trust him to take on the op, and that he had brought him into his team and family. He also felt like it had been one of the most humbling things since joining the team that Tony would trust him to be with him and Ducky as he talked about Amira like he had. He felt like it was intentional, though he couldn't figure out why, so he had waited, standing with the two older men as they talked.
As they walked down the ramp, Ned noticed that Evelyn was standing over the shoulder of a young guy, showing him how to do something. A moment later the wall in front of him turned blue, emanating an electronic light, and then a man popped up.
"Agent Dorneget, Agent DiNozzo," Davidson said. "It's good to see you."
"You too, Davidson," Tony said with a smile. "Looks like you got some rest."
"Yes, sir, I did, and so did my men. We've had a busy day since though. I have intel for you."
"Good," Ned said, pulling his memo pad and a pen from the inside of his jacket pocket. "What can you tell us."
"Kiel Ryzantine is dead," he started.
"Thank God," Tony whispered, closing his eyes.
"That's probably the best news you could have given us this morning," Ned said with a bright grin. "We have Jamaal Dwahalini in custody. Unfortunately, we lost someone close in the process."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Davidson said with a regretful shake of his head. "I'm sorry we couldn't have gotten information for you sooner."
"There wasn't any way," Ned said. "We grateful for everything you've been doing and will do as we take this on. We just have to keep moving forward right now."
"Yes, sir, and forward we are moving for sure. We have heard that Ryzantine was killed by a Matthew Richards, or at least that's what he's going as."
Ned smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's not his name. He's… I wouldn't really say he's on our side, but we're going to accept his help."
"He's CIA," Tony clarified.
"Ah. Gotcha. Friend of your buddy Meisner?"
"Not that I know of," Tony said.
"They haven't been acquainted yet, but they probably will be soon enough," Ned said, thinking about information Claudia had funneled to him that morning. It wasn't lost on him that Tony raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, and he felt kind of badass knowing that he had connections his boss didn't know about.
"We found that out through Ed and Rod's friend Rahllan. He was more than willing to talk, claiming that he was being blackmailed and threatened into helping the group and their cause."
"You don't believe him," Ned said.
"Hell no. He's slimier than an eel. Wiggles like one, too. His story slid through so many cracks it was unreal. In speaking to the other men in the organization, it was determined that the weapon hadn't been perfected. They hadn't made a successful vaccine yet, so they hadn't meant to distribute it anytime soon. The Qureshis were pushing them, trying to get them to release it without the vaccination being complete, but the group wouldn't allow that. The Qureshis are rumored to be working on a Plan B since The Yellow Triangle guys were holding back. There was a lot of mistrust on both sides about what was planned to happen with the weapon."
"What were the plans?" Ned asked.
"The Yellow Triangle was planning on using a well outside Kabul to distribute the contaminant after they were positive the vaccine would protect them. It's the well our military installation there uses the most. The Qureshis were going to distribute it amongst the Middle East through their satellites in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. Each satellite has a target in mind that would affect a substantial U.S. military post. We know the post in Iraq they were targeting, but we don't know yet the locations being targeted in Syria and Iran."
"Why would they have targets in Iran? The group has been specifically anti-American," Ned said, suddenly very confused and trying to put the pieces together in his head. "We don't have a military base anywhere near the border, and certainly not in Iran itself. So, who could possibly be targeted in Iran?"
"We don't know if the target is actually in Iran. The only thing we can think of, is that it's given to the Iranian government to allow them access so they could vaccinate their people, target U.S. sympathizers, and then use their resources to duplicate the weapon and distribute it as they saw fit."
Tony shook his head. "Even for crazy bastards like The Yellow Triangle, they don't seem like the types to work with Iran. With how tensions are politically right now, the Iranian government wouldn't want to be involved in a plot like this, and like you said, The Yellow Triangle doesn't work with just anyone. They must have a particular group in Iran that they're partnered with."
Ned glanced at Tony, nodding. "If I had to take a guess, I would say they're probably linking up with something like their Reformed Ministry party, or another underground political party. Many of them are extremists in one direction or the other. Reformed Ministry believes that the Ministry of Guidance isn't strict enough, and that Americans shouldn't be allowed into the country at all. Of course, there are extremists in the other direction as well, and both sides are willing to do what it takes to make their point."
"I've heard of the Reformed Ministry people," Davidson said. "I never thought I'd have to deal with them in any way, so I haven't read up on them. I'll have to do that. For now though, we most likely have stopped that plan from going forward. The Yellow Triangle has much smaller groups in each of the other countries I mentioned, but the group we handled last night were the largest part of the collective, and their communication hub. They were also smart. They contained their only samples of the diseases they were working with in that building. The others would have been too hard to monitor and keep a leash on from afar. The smaller groups are going to scramble."
"I'll let our operatives in those areas know. Do we have any names?" Ned asked.
"Yes. Booker is compiling the information and you'll have a report soon. Russel's preliminary report just got here right before I patched in to talk to you."
"Great," Ned said. "We haven't had a chance to read it yet. I have a few reports from Landstuhl on Ed and Rod I need to read over too. I'll email you the information I received."
"That would be appreciated. We're all really worried about them and praying for their recovery."
"If I get to talk to them, I'll make sure they know that," Ned said.
"Thanks. Now, the information I know we're all dying to talk about- the Qureshis."
Tony nodded. "Talk."
"They have two main groups within their organization. The first one is the equivalent to a board of directors, and since we infiltrated and detained so many people in the raid on their underground headquarters below the mosque, they have been off hiding like rabbits. They're communicating though, and they think the organization is still under their control. They're doing things like sending the assassins after Ms. Ta'anari and her friends. The second group in the organization is emphasizing that kind of stuff, talking it up and playing it big, when really, they don't care. They're inflating the importance of things like that so that their actions, such as partnering with The Yellow Triangle, go unnoticed.
"The real threat is the rebellious force within the rebel organization, if that makes any sense. They are led by a man named Mohamed Ahmed al Zafir, and he's charismatic, focused, intelligent, and ruthless. He also knows just how to pander to "the board" in order to keep them guessing. The board stays hidden based on his suggestions, while really, he's running the whole damn operation, and doing a much better job than they ever did. He's making alliances with a lot of different groups that Turhan hadn't been able to because of his reckless ways."
Ned was taking notes, realizing that this op was far from over. He wasn't looking forward to where it was leading, and he starting to wonder if he shouldn't turn it back over to Tony until he felt a little more ready to handle it, but he was also afraid of doing anything that would challenge his abilities after Tony had to lead him out of MTAC the night before. He sighed quietly to himself and looked back up at Davidson who kept talking.
"The other groups he's aligning with are just as scary as The Yellow Triangle. One has a specialty in fiery weapons. If you need a grenade launcher, flame thrower, bomb, the materials for Molotovs, this group has them."
"Do you have a name for them?" Ned asked.
"Not one I can pronounce," Davidson said with a grimace. He turned his head and both Ned and Tony followed as they heard Diaz speaking up from the back.
"Show off!" Davidson said.
"No, have him say it again for me," Ned said.
Diaz came over and got into the camera, crouching down next to Davidson. "It's [Cinnamon Traders]," he said.
"Really?" Ned asked with a smirk. "Cinnamon Traders? Another one of those names that sound way cooler in Arabic." He looked at Tony, who squinted at him with a raised eyebrow.
"That's what I thought!" Diaz said with a smile. "But cinnamon is spicy, fiery, whatever, so it was kind of a code word, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it," Ned said. "What do you know about them?"
"They're kinda the badasses of the desert, but that's also their downfall," Diaz said with a shrug. "They're the tough guys. Silent, in it for the cash and toys. They love trying out their goods themselves, usually on helpless villages that didn't do anything to anybody. If anything, being with a stricter version of the Qureshis might rein them in a little. It's also going to put them in touch with bigger business partners. It's a scary thought."
"Who else do you have for us?" Tony asked.
"There's a group they have in their pocket that supplies them with fuel," Davidson said. "Another couple small renegade groups in the area that don't go by any particular name have joined them."
"Yeah," Diaz said. "They typically have calling cards, ya know, not names. One of them will leave a finger behind when they take someone, another strips their victim of their clothes and leaves them in a burning heap. Stupid stuff like that."
"Losing a finger seems pretty extreme," Ned said.
"Better than a head. We're familiar with a group that does that," Davidson said.
"That doesn't surprise me," Tony said, steering the conversation back towards the groups they'd need to be concerned with and away from headless people. "So how many people do we have direct information on within the rebellion in the Qureshi organization?"
"To some extent, we know of thirty-two people by name. That may be all we know, but at least we know of that. Our biggest concern is al Zafir. We've considered different ways to bring him down, and part of the plan is to expose to those on the board that he's been manipulating them. The next is to take the bastard out, and then see what holds after that."
Ned nodded, approving of the method. "How do you plan on exposing him?"
Diaz shrugged. "We have some contacts from the wrong side of the tracks that can get the information out there if certain things are offered, and we have the ability to offer those things."
"What kinds of things?" Tony asked.
"Protection mainly," Davidson said. "Food, fuel, and medical supplies are also possibilities though. Typical exchanges around here."
Ned nodded his understanding. "How long is it going to take you to put that plan in effect?"
"We're going to need a few days on that. Our best chance at making contact isn't local. It will take him another forty-eight hours to put the plan into motion after we talk."
"Okay. What do you need from us?" Ned said.
"The permission to do what we have to do in order to start this carnival ride, and then take al Zafir out."
Tony nodded. "That's fine."
"Just update us as you go along," Ned said. "Check in before he's taken down so we can expect the fallout."
"Not a problem. I'll be in touch with you as soon as we have more information. Expect at least a forty-eight hour turnaround time."
"Now that we know Ryzantine is dead and we have Dwahalini in custody, that isn't a problem." Tony grit his teeth as he remembered what he was about to do.
"So you lost someone bringing him in?" Davidson asked.
"Yes," Ned said, turning to Tony.
"The mother of Agent Gibbs' and my goddaughter," Tony said.
Davidson looked confused a brief moment, but then nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry for your loss. How was she involved?"
"She works with an organization that assists refugees. Ta'anari and her companions had made contact with them, and Dwahalini was tracing it back. She was a refugee herself after having a child with a Marine who was killed, leaving her to flee. That child is now in Gibbs' and my care."
"Damn," Diaz said. "That sucks." He and Davidson exchanged glances, and then looked back to the screen.
"Yeah, it does."
"We're really sorry, man," Diaz said. "Wow." He exhaled sharply, and Tony was grateful for the honest response. It wasn't a platitude, but a genuine understanding of just how bad the situation was.
"Thanks," Tony said.
"Okay, we'll keep you informed on Ed and Rod, you keep us informed on your contact and al Zafir," Ned said.
"Got it," Davidson said.
"Hey," Diaz said quietly. "Can you do us a favor? If you find out Ed, you know, passes, can you make sure Davidson and I find out before Booker? He's not gonna take it so well, and it would be best if we broke it to him."
Ned nodded. "I will do my best to make sure that happens."
"Thanks," Diaz said, turning to give Davidson a cheesy grin that made him smirk.
"We'll be in touch," Davidson said, then a hand went over the screen as he reached for the tablet. Tony and Ned could see him slapping Diaz's arm first though, and Tony chuckled.
"I wonder if that's anything like the "Gibbs-slap"," he said, looking at Ned.
"Maybe?" Ned said, shrugging. "I had completely forgotten before I left last night to check the emails from Lundstahl about Ed and Rod. I'm dying to get to them. I knew there was something I'd forgotten." He moved past Tony, practically running up the ramp, and Tony followed him. They took off down the steps silently, rushing towards Ned's desk. Tony pulled a stool up to sit next to him as he began opening the email client.
"What's going on?" Elly asked, Parke was already getting to his feet to come read over their shoulders.
"We have health updates from the hospital on our operatives. Agent Rod Garnier and Marine First Lieutenant Edward Stephens were admitted with exposure to a bioterror agent that has Ed in a coma and has given Rod pneumonia," Ned explained.
"Damn!" Elly said, getting up to go come read over their shoulders as well. "This really has been a nightmare."
"You can say that again," Ned whispered as he glanced over the first page of the report that talked about Rod. "Okay, so this says that Rod has a mutation of pneumonia that is resistant to the antivirals, but his body is actually doing a good job of fighting it off itself. The samples they've taken have been completely nonresponsive to the antiviral drugs, but his immune system is handling it like it would the flu."
"Go Rod!" Tony said. "Let's get to Ed."
Ned scrolled down with an eager nod. Elly and Parke leaned in to read at the same time Tony and Ned did. The four heads were close enough to hear each other breathe as they read the report.
Lieutenant Stephens is suffering from acute renal failure, pneumonia, and meningitis. He has been under constant watch due to a pulmonary edema he suffered shortly after arrival. He has been in a coma since transport to the facility and has not been responsive to any stimuli, though EKGs are showing a fair amount of brain activity. He is scheduled to begin dialysis today now that his fever is down to 99.9 degrees, and has been treated with multiple antivirals to assist with battling his exposure to a bioterrorist engineered version of pneumonia. There are no signs of any drugs in his system that would have been taken to treat meningitis, meaning that it is very likely he did not know he had it. It's influence is most likely the reason he succumbed so quickly to the pneumonia. The compromise to his immune system makes it very hard to fight the pneumonia, hence the edema. His kidneys have stopped being able to process the abundant amount of fluid his body is trying to expel as his lungs fill time and time again. Hopes are that with the dialysis he will be able to void some of the fluids and give his kidneys a chance to start processing normally again. He has been intubated and will remain that way until he is able to breathe on his own again. The brain activity is hopeful. If the rest of his body can recover, his brain damage may only be minor from the extended high fever. If he becomes conscious, a medically induced coma may be necessary to allow his body time to recover.
Tony leaned on Ned's desk, sighing. Ned leaned back, and Elly rested his hands on Ned's shoulder, making him look upside down at him as he leaned back against him. Elly looked down on him, taking in every bit of his face to read him, barely resisting the urge to kiss him. Parke shook his head and came around Tony to lean on Ned's desk.
"Is that the most recent report?" Tony asked quietly.
"No, let's look through the other one," Ned said, swallowing hard as he sat up and reached for his mouse. Elly's hands stayed on Ned's shoulders, and Ned found they gave him strength as he clicked the next email.
Again, it started with Rod, and it said that he had been reprimanded multiple times for flirting with the nurses, and everyone laughed, including Parke who had moved back behind Tony to read.
"Oh, man! He must be getting desperate," Tony said as he read the next line.
"He was flirting with one of the male nurses?" Ned asked, turning to Tony with his jaw slack.
"Aw, he was just having fun," Tony said. "He doesn't actually have a two way door, but you've talked to him. You know he'll do anything to keep his spirits up, even if it means flirting with everyone who comes across his path."
"Sounds like someone else I know," a voice said, making everyone look up. Vance was standing at Ned's desk, looking at the group that was huddled together.
"Are you insinuating that I'm a flirt, Director?" Tony asked in mock offense. He turned and winked at Ned with a smile.
"I'd never do that, DiNozzo," Vance said with a smirk. "What's the huddle about?" he asked curiously.
"The medical reports on Ed and Rod have come through," Tony said seriously.
"Oh?" Vance said, moving behind the group to read along.
"Wait," Tony said. "Can you print off the first one?" he asked Ned.
The screens blipped back and forth, and then the printer behind them whirred to life. Vance turned around to take the sheet off the printer.
The rest of the group had gone back to the second message, reading over the portion on Ed.
At 1314 today, Lt. Stephens' right lung collapsed. We were able to resuscitate him by inserting a syringe into his lung and drawing out fluid, and then inserted a second to allow air to fill the chamber. His breathing capacity has shifted greatly though, and even with intubation, he is struggling. Dialysis allowed for the removal of five liters of fluid from his body, and he will have another round tomorrow to hopefully remove more. We are fairly certain the dialysis will continue daily for the next week at this rate. After treatment, the patient's left lung sounds somewhat clearer, though his right lung is impaired from the collapse. We are contemplating the need to remove the right lung if the patient survives the pneumonia and meningitis. The meningitis is responding well to the anitbiotics, and the fever is steady at 99.9. There is an increase in brain activity in the EKG done at 1215 today. We will not be doing another for forty-eight hours, as we're afraid the stress of it is what caused the lung to collapse.
Ned's hands reached to take the ones on his shoulder. Elly gladly complied.
"It could be worse," Parke said quietly.
"Yeah, it could be," Tony agreed. "It's still pretty damned terrible."
Vance was bending forward between Tony and Ned, reading over the report. "Damn it," he whispered. "You're right. Does he have any family to notify?"
"No," Tony said. "He doesn't. Neither does Rod. I wonder if Rod has been able to visit him. They've been teamed up a long time."
"With them both being contagious, they're probably quarantined to an extent," Ned said. "Exposing Ed to Rod might be a bad idea."
"Or it could be the best thing to keep that active brain fighting," Vance said. Ned nodded in concession.
"I can email them and ask if they've been allowed to see each other," Ned said, opening a reply.
"Forward those to me, and let me know what they say," Vance said.
"Yes sir," Ned said, typing up the email.
"You have a moment?" Vance asked Tony.
"Yeah. I need to call Jethro and let him know I'm out of MTAC. He's waiting for my all clear."
"Call him, and when he gets here, both of you come see me."
"That was the plan," Tony said, the phone to his ear as he moved to sit back behind his desk. Vance passed his desk on the way back to his office, and Tony sighed when he heard Jethro's voice.
"You ready for us?" he answered.
"Yeah, come on over."
"Good. See you soon," Jethro said. He was about to hang up the phone when he put it back to his ear. "Love you."
"Love you, too," Tony said with a tired smile.
Jethro turned to Amira who was dressed in clean clothes and ready to run out the door with Dirt under one arm and her blue Gatorade in her hand. He smiled at her and grabbed the keys to Tony's car from the bowl by the door.
"Let's go, munchkin," he said. He looked down to find Amira was already next to him. He opened the door and let her out, then turned to lock it behind him as Amira tried to go down the steps with her hands full. "Hold on there," he said, reaching to take her Gatorade in one hand and her now empty hand in the other. "One step at a time."
"Right," she said, nodding, then hopped down the last step with both feet. Jethro chuckled and led her to the car. He opened the back door and she crawled in, sitting Dirt next to her as she reached for her Gatorade. Jethro handed it off and buckled her seatbelt. He was glad Amira was full height for her age, if not somewhat tall. She was safe enough in the back to not have to worry about a carseat. He made sure her fingers weren't in the door and then closed it, sighing as he thought about how much more this would suck if he had to worry about something like that.
He got into the front seat and adjusted it slightly so he could drive comfortably and fixed the mirrors before he turned the key over.
"We're going to see Tony?" Amira asked.
"Yep. Our boss will be there too, and my team and Tony's team."
"Your teams fight the bad guys. Are the bad guys going to be there?" she asked.
"No. The bad guys won't be there. It's where all the good guys hang out." Jethro smirked and looked back at Amira in the mirror to see her looking out the window somewhat apprehensively, but she nodded.
He thought about what Tony had told him earlier, and decided to change the topic. The rest of the car ride went like the question and answer session that Tony and Amira had had earlier, and Jethro was relieved that Amira was so easy to distract.
AIS-NCIS-AIS-NCIS-AIS
"While we're waiting for him," Tony said to the group. "Tell me what you've found on Dwahalini's movement into the States."
"We haven't been able to do too much," Parke said. "We really need to get out into the field, and the past twenty-four hours just haven't allowed for that. Right now, all we really know was that there are no rental cars that have been picked up in his name for the past week, or any cars picked up by anyone who looks and sounds like Dwahalini. This suggests that he doesn't have any kind of ID or credentials on him at all. When we found him, his pockets held cash, and that was it. No paperwork of any kind. Unless he has it at his squat, wherever that may be, he's completely dark."
Elly jumped in. "I've tried finding any kind of camera near Leyla's house that would have Dwahalini on it to help us track down where he was coming from, but there's nothing. She lives in a somewhat quiet neighborhood, and the nearest traffic cam is almost a mile away. I've put in a request for video footage from the transit system to see if he could have gotten on a bus in the area earlier in the day since that seems to be his preferred mode of transportation, and they are gathering it to send to me. It's closed circuit so they actually have to go bus by bus and get it."
"Ick," Tony said.
"Yeah, but it'll be worth it if we can figure out where he's coming from."
"You and Parke can go canvass the neighborhood today. This afternoon, I'll take Ned with me to The Epiphany. It's a Catholic church downtown that's running an underground railroad of sorts for Islamic refugees, and they hold a Muslim prayer service in their basement on Fridays. I'm hoping someone will be able to shed some light on it."
"Sounds like an adventure," Ned said.
"Yeah, just gotta keep me from killing Dwahalini first," Tony said. He suddenly remembered he was supposed to call Joan Truxton, and he turned to pull up the school's information. He found the number and dialed it as the rest of his team pretended to work around him as they eavesdropped.
"Hi, Joan Truxton please," Tony said. "Thank you."
An IM window suddenly appeared on Elly and Ned's computer from Parke.
GParke01: Who's Joan Truxton?
NDorneget01: No idea.
ECritten01: Me neither.
"Hi, is this Joan?" Tony asked. "Hi Joan. Tony DiNozzo. Amira's godfather. Yes, she's safe and sound. We've lost Leyla though."
NDorneget01: Oh, this sucks.
GParke01: Yeah. Awkward.
ECritten01: Mmhmmm.
"Yes. She's going to be living with Jethro and I now. She didn't take it well, obviously, but she's going to be okay. We live on the other side of town though, and Walden isn't anywhere near NCIS or our place, so we're going to need to put her in another school. I know she's too young to start kindergarten programs, so we were wondering if you could suggest something that would foster her intellect while still giving her time to play that would be closer to us. We're in Alexandria."
GParke01: Smart thinking.
ECritten01: Mmhmmm.
"Are they year round, or would she start in September?" Tony scribbled something on a notepad, then started bringing up something on his computer. "And they're montessori as well? That would be perfect. She's a little young to be starting- Oh? That would be so- I'd really appreciate that."
NDorneget01: Bingo.
"Does Amira still have belongings at Walden?" Tony nodded. "Okay. We can bring her by. Do you think we should bring her when the kids are there so she can say goodbye to her friends?"
Parke shook his head no before he could stop himself.
GParke01: Bad idea. Too soon. She just said goodbye to her mom. Too soon.
ECritten01: Mmhmmm.
"Yeah. I'm getting the head shake from my in-house therapist at work here too," Tony said, smirking at Parke who threw his hands up and sighed. "I'd like for her to be able to stay connected to some of her friends though... Oh? That would be nice. Yeah, I'll get the information from you while I'm there getting Amira's things."
ECritten01: Busted.
GParke01: You think?
NDorneget01: Mmhmmm.
Elly suddenly laughed and looked at Ned, who grinned from ear to ear and chuckled silently.
ECritten01: You're such a brat.
NDorneget01: Yeah, but you like me that way.
GParke01: *rolling my eyes*
ECritten01: Whatever. You know you're just as lovey dovey with Tiff, if not like a hundred times more.
GParke01: Oh, you haven't met The Prego Monster. Whew! She's lucky I love her! Damn. And I thought PMS was bad? Nuhuh. Nothing compared to The Prego Monster. Laughing one minute, pissed enough she's about to clock me the next, and when I don't let her, she cries!
ECritten01: Daaayummm. I'm so glad we can't knock each other up honey.
NDorneget01: Uh, yeah! Me too, because I'd probably be just like that.
ECritten01: ... Good to know?
NDorneget01: Yeah. Just... never hide the Lysol wipes, and we'll be fine.
ECritten01: I promise on every lemon Starburst ever made.
GParke01: Good answer!
ECritten01: I thought so, but does Ned?
There was no response for a long moment, and Greg and Elly shared a look, then looked at Ned, and saw him staring blankly into his screen.
GParke01: *crickets chirping*
ECritten01: Ned? Earth to Ned?
A separate IM window popped up on Elly's screen from Ned.
NDorneget01: Just read the email from my brother. Think we can sneak away for some coffee?
"Boss, I'm stealing Ned and going for coffee," Elly said, getting to his feet.
"Got it," Tony said, putting his hand over his receiver.
Ned joined Elly and they walked out of the bullpen. Parke got up and moved to look at Ned's computer screen before locking down the computer. He saw the IM to Elly and nodded, then hit control, alt, delete. He didn't know anything about Ned's brother, but Elly must. He felt bad for looking, but he wouldn't pry now that he knew that Elly could take care of it. He'd just keep his ears open. He noticed Tony was raising an eyebrow at him.
"He forgot to lock his screen," he said with a shrug, and then went back to work when Tony nodded.
Meanwhile, Elly and Ned were standing side by side in the elevator, waiting for it to hit the ground floor. They got out and made their way out the front entrance and towards the coffee cart. They ordered, and took the coffees for a walk through the quad.
"So, what did he say?" Elly said, taking a drink of his iced caramel something-or-other.
"Some jerkhole response about how I'm nuts if I think that a job that could kill me was a good thing, and that I'm still nothing in his eyes basically. He threw in that my mother laughed when she heard I'm in the field now, and part of me wanted to laugh too, because I've spent so little time in the field over the past couple of weeks with the op."
"We already knew your brother was an idiot. Maybe we could get Rod or Ed to cough on him," Elly said with a quirked up eyebrow and playfully mischievous glance that made Ned smile and shake his head.
"Only if we could quarantine him afterwards."
"Sounds good," Elly said. "We don't need his type of nonsense loose in this world anyway. I wish we could quarantine all those infected by stupidity."
Ned chuckled sardonically. "I have a feeling the camp would be larger than the rest of the world's population. Plus, you just never know what's going to happen when you put all those stupid people together. They'd probably form a country."
"Ouch! Isn't that kinda how we got here to begin with?" Elly whispered. Ned laughed genuinely. Elly was glad he was able to keep him smiling when his so-called family tried to bring him down. He bumped his shoulder against Ned's, who bumped him back and continued walking alongside him shoulder to shoulder, practically against one another.
"I don't care as much as I would have two months ago," Ned said with a shrug. "Honestly, you guys are more my family than they have been over the past eight years."
"I wonder how much that family is going to change now that Boss and Gibbs are going to be raising a kid? I mean, really? Can you picture either of them with a kid?" Elly shook his head in thought.
"I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't have thought so before moving upstairs, but now that I know them a little better, yeah. This is going to sound totally weird, but when you went home on Saturday, I had dinner with them, and they were actually kind of protective. You know, all worried about me, and it was nice. It almost felt like family dinner when I was a kid."
Elly nodded. "Boss is very protective of both of us. Should've heard him in the car on the way home that day."
"I got my own version of it. He kind of feels almost fatherly sometimes."
"I wondered if I was the only one getting that. I thought it was because I'm supposed to be his second in command or whatever, but I noticed he's like that with you and even Parke. So I started watching Gibbs, and he's like that in his own way with Abby, McGee, and Ziva, too."
Ned took a drink of his coffee. "Ooo! Still way too hot," he said with a grimace. "Burnt my tongue."
"Here," Elly said, passing him his cup. "Might make it feel better."
Ned smiled sheepishly and took the cup, sucking some of the cool liquid though the straw as he stared at Elly over the lid. Elly stared back, smiling because of how cute Ned looked, but he wasn't sure why he looked so shy.
"What are you thinking?" he asked as Ned handed him the cup back.
"Well, I don't share drinks with people. Ever."
"You were sharing your drink with me on Saturday," Elly pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.
Ned nodded. "Yeah, and that was huge for me, you have no idea."
"Then why were you doing it if you were uncomfortable?" Elly asked.
"Because I wasn't uncomfortable. It was you."
"Oh," Elly said, struck by the complexity of such a simple answer and honored by its implications. "I'm touched."
Ned felt his cheeks turning pink as he stared down at the cup in his hand while they strolled along. He couldn't stop smiling.
"Confession?" he said, looking up at Elly.
"Definitely," Elly said, intrigued enough that he stopped walking.
"Sometimes, I just really wish I could be as comfortable with everything as everyone else. So when I do break out of my normal fears, it feels reckless, wild, and it has this kind of taboo feeling that, when in the right setting, can be a total turn on."
"Oh really? So, sharing drinks with someone is a turn on for you?" Elly said with a bright grin.
"With the right person, yes. Amongst other things," Ned said, feeling his face turn bright red as heat raced up his body to give him away. He tried to walk away, but Elly's hand on his arm stopped him.
"Other things?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Yeah. I'm sure you'll find out," Ned said, trying to avoid the question.
Elly's hand slipped down Ned's arm and laced their fingers together. "When?" he asked, scanning Ned's face with a smirk and playful eyes.
"Oh, when the two months are up for sure," Ned said, trying to tap into some of his MTAC confidence, but not too much.
"Oh, that's evil," Elly said, chewing on his lower lip. "Mmmm… You're going to make this really hard for me."
"Keep biting your lip like that and handing me your drinks, and you're going to make it really hard for me not to kiss you right here in the middle of the quad or in the office."
Elly suddenly realized that they were standing in the middle of the Navy Yard quad holding hands, inches from one another. He smiled from ear to ear as he realized he simply didn't care. He was Ned's, Ned was his, and he didn't care who knew.
"You make me feel… fearless," Elly said.
Ned was taken aback by that. "Fearless? How's that?"
"We're holding hands in the middle of the quad, and I wouldn't mind at all if you kissed me right now. You said that, and I thought, damn, I wish he'd kiss me, and then I realized we're out here where everyone can see us, and then I realized, I don't care, I still want you to kiss me."
Ned felt a light, weightless feeling come over him, and it was like he was suddenly ten times more confident than he was in MTAC. He smiled, leaned in, closed the gap between them, and closed his eyes as he pressed his lips against Elly's. It was a gentle kiss, as appropriate as a kiss could get while at work, and yet it was perfect. Ned pulled back just enough to move his mouth close to Elly's ear.
"Kissing you so much harder than that tonight," he said, his voice rough in that way that made Elly shiver, the hair on his arms standing on ends despite the summer heat.
"Hell yeah you are," he said, only able to breathe the words rather than actually speak them. His eyes finally opened, and Ned's were right in front of him, darker than usual, the ring of silver around them taking his breath away even more. He finally inhaled, shuddering, biting his lower lip.
"What are we doing for dinner?" Ned asked, turning to walk back towards the building.
Elly cleared his throat. "I don't care. Should probably actually go somewhere to eat. If we eat at one of our places we may never get to the food."
Ned chuckled. "Probably true."
Elly suddenly had a thought, and he considered whether or not he should ask the question it brought up.
"What?" Ned asked, looking up at Elly, worried about the expression on his face.
"Just wondered if you have anything you worry about at restaurants," he said with a shrug. "You know, since you were saying you never share drinks with anyone, it made me think of it."
Ned nodded, a smile curling on his lips. "That's actually really sweet of you to consider. I don't think anyone has ever asked me that."
Elly shrugged, smiling shyly in relief that it wasn't an offensive question.
"As long as the table tops aren't sticky, we're good. I just try really hard not to think about it, use straws whenever possible, and do a lot of take out so I don't think about the environment around me."
"Sounds good." They approached the building and finally let go of one another's hands when they reached to open the door. As they made their way through security, Elly poked Ned.
"Look!" he said. Ned followed the gesture Elly made with his head, and saw Jethro and Amira walking slowly towards the elevator. Jethro was holding her hand while Dirt was wedged under her arm securely. He held the bottle of Gatorade in his other hand, and he chuckled while Amira hopped from square to square on the marble tiled floor.
"Oh, my god. They are so cute," Ned whispered, following Elly closely as they came up on Jethro and Amira.
"Gibbs!" Elly greeted.
Jethro turned around and found Elly and Ned smiling at him and the munchkin. He smiled back and nodded.
"Hi Amira!" Elly said gently. "Do you remember me? I'm on Tony's team."
Amira nodded and smiled shyly, moving closer to Jethro.
"Hi Amira," Ned said. "I'm Dorney. It's nice to meet you."
"You and Tony's fighting bad guys too?" Amira asked.
Ned and Elly chuckled, bumping shoulders with one another again. "Yeah, we help him fight the bad guys," Ned reassured her.
Amira nodded her approval, and the group started walking towards the elevator again. Amira reached forward, the bear in her arm still as she tried to push the button.
"Nope, the other one," Jethro said when she reached for the down button. Amira stood on her toes and pushed the top button, holding it in as it turned orange. "Okay, you got it."
Amira nodded and stepped back, wiping her nose on the head of the bear.
Ned and Elly watched them in fascination with huge smiles on their faces. As the elevator doors opened up, Amira pulled Jethro in with her, hopping over the crack between the marble floor and the metal edge of the elevator. Ned fought back the squeal he felt inside at the cuteness. He instinctively reached for Elly's hand, and he took it without a thought. The doors closed on them and Amira noticed their joined hands, and gasped.
"Are you two boyfriends too?" she asked excitedly. "Like Gibbsy and Tony?"
The three men chuckled at her innocent excitement.
"Yeah," Elly said, he and Ned looking at each other with bright smiles.
"Cool!" Amira said. "Are- are you gonna get married too?" she asked.
The three men laughed again, and both Elly and Ned turned different shades of pink.
"Maybe one day," Elly said, biting his lower lip as he looked at Ned who smiled sheepishly back with a nod.
"Yay!" she cried as they got off the elevator. She suddenly stopped when assaulted by the bright orange room full of noise and moved closer to Jethro. She looked up at him, and he bent over and picked her up.
"You okay, munchkin?" he asked. She nodded and looked around the room, a little more comfortable now that she could see over the cubicles. "Okay," he said, kissing her forehead and sitting her down.
"Where's Tony?" she asked, her eyes still announcing her discomfort.
"Right over here," Elly said, leading the way.
Halfway through the aisle leading through Tony's side of the bullpen, past the copiers and the empty desks the travelling agents used, she saw him.
"Tony!" she cried, pulling out of Jethro's hand and running over to him. He got up to meet her around the front of her desk, scooping her up in his arms, his eyes closing.
"Hey sweetie," he said. He realized Amira was shaking suddenly. "What's wrong honey?" he asked, holding her tightly. Jethro came to stand next to them.
"Not sure," he said. "She's been great all morning until we got off the elevator just now."
"Big place, lots of people," Parke said quietly from behind them. He'd gotten up as soon as he heard Tony ask what was wrong.
"Aww. It's okay honey," Tony reassured her. "These are all my friends. We all fight the bad guys together," he whispered.
Amira nodded, but didn't let him go at all. She mumbled something, and Tony didn't understand it.
"What?" he asked. "I didn't hear you."
"She said she wants to go home," Ned said quietly.
Tony suddenly realized she had said it in Arabic, and he nodded.
"Soon, honey," Tony said, looking over her shoulder at Jethro who swallowed hard. "You can go to your new home soon. Gibbsy and I have to meet with our boss though for a little bit. Then Gibbsy will take you home."
"You too," she said.
"No, not yet. I have to work still for a while, but I'll be home tonight," he said. Amira pulled back so that Tony could see her face, but she played with his tie instead of looking back at him. Tony knew a pout when he saw one, and Amira was definitely pouting. "You going to be okay if I leave you with the good guys for a little while so Gibbsy and I can go talk to Vance?" He saw her angry pouty look turned scared immediately, and she began shaking again.
"No! I go with you!" she said.
Ned swallowed. He was used to being put in charge of watching people, often getting stuck on protection duty, and he felt like this was somehow his job.
"Why don't you and I sit outside the door of the Director's office together?" he asked. "I can bring paper and we can draw pictures."
"I think I have some markers," Parke said, looking through his door. Elly went behind his desk to try to find something to keep her occupied with too. Tim and Ziva had been watching from their side of the bullpen and started shuffling around in their desks for something that could keep her distracted.
"Dorney," Tim called. Ned looked over, and Tim held up a pack of Twizzlers. Ned nodded and Tim tossed them across the bullpen. He was surprised when he caught them.
"Look! McGee even gave us candy!" he said. She still wasn't letting go of Tony, but she was looking at Ned from over his shoulder with a little less passionate anger and fear than she had been a moment before. "The cool thing about Twizzlers, is when you bite off each end, you can use it like a straw."
"In blue?" she asked tentatively.
"Blue?" Ned asked.
"Her Gatorade," Tony clarified. "You can color with Ned and use candy as straws with blue. If you go to our meeting you have to listen to grown up talk- a lot of it. What do you want to do?"
"But what if the-" she started, then Tony felt the beginning of a sob and he shook his head.
"They won't. Ned knows more about the bad guys than even me. He'll keep you safe, I promise."
Ned nodded. "I promise, too," he said. "Pinky promise." He held out his pinky for her, and she tentatively reached out for it and wrapped her pinky around it.
"Atta girl," Jethro said. "We'll only be a few feet away if you want to check on us." Amira nodded and then pulled back, breathing in another one of those shuddering breaths and playing with Tony's tie again.
"'kay," she said quietly. Not for the first time, Tony realized that she was incredibly brave.
"You are such a brave girl," Tony whispered. "Just like your mom." Amira's eyes came up to meet his and he nodded at her. Amira sat a little straighter in Tony's arms, and wiped her nose on Dirt again.
Ned turned around and took a stack of paper out of the fax machine behind him, and then opened his drawer to take out some pencils. Elly got up and took the markers Parke had gathered and added them to his collection, then put a rubber band around them to hold them together. Ned smiled at him and added them to his stack along with the Twizzlers. Elly held up his finger signaling to wait a second, and pulled his hand sanitizer off his keychain, handing it to Ned who grinned and stuck it in his pocket.
"Thank you," he whispered. Elly winked at him.
When Amira reached out for Ned to take her, he wasn't the only one surprised. Jethro took the supplies from him with a shrug, and Ned suddenly found himself with an armful of little girl clingingly tightly to him.
["Are you okay?"] he asked her quietly in Arabic. She took a deep breath and nodded. He nodded back. "Okay. Let's go color." He followed Jethro towards the stairs, and Tony followed them all.
The rest of the group watched them as they went, and Parke moved to stand next to Elly who hadn't taken his eyes off of Ned.
"So," he asked quietly. "How do you feel about being a dad?"
"Huh?" Elly asked, finally turning to Parke as Ned disappeared from view.
"He's great with kids," Parke said. "And honestly, you look a little mesmerized by the whole thing."
Elly shrugged with a bright smile. "Feeling pretty good about it suddenly." He turned to sit behind his desk, the smile not fading for a moment, and Parke chuckled as he went back to his desk.
Too bad they can't get pregnant together, he said, thinking about their earlier IM conversation. They're going to be great parents.