Tony and I watch from our desks as Gibbs returns from his lunch break and goes to his desk. He sees the paper I put on his desk just minutes before. We can hardly keep back the giggles as we watch him read the paper.
"Kate, what is this?" He asks, placing it back on his desk.
"It's a request for maternity leave." I answer, keeping my voice as still as I can.
"I can see that, but why? I thought you two decided not to have any more kids."
"Yeah, about that, this apparently predates that decision. I'm almost three months along." I'm smiling and starting to giggle by now. Poor Gibbs, he just looks so confused. I glance over at Tony; he's smiling too but trying to hide behind his computer. I have to get him involved in this too, it was his idea anyway, but he beats me to it.
"It was my idea to leave that on your desk. We wanted to surprise you." He chimed in.
"Well, you two definitely succeeded in that. Congratulations, is it a boy or a girl? Please tell me you're not having twins again."
"No, just one. I don't know yet, I didn't look, we just found out today."
Just then McGee came back from his lunch break. I didn't want to tell everyone today, I wanted to give it sometime to sink in first. I looked at Gibbs and he nodded and told us to get back to work. Luckily the rest of my day went by with out any other shocking news. On the drive to school we decided how we were going to tell the kids. Our 9 year old, Lexi, we knew was going to be fine with it, she was our oldest and was used to new babies. The twins, Michael and Boone, we weren't quite sure about, they had only been 3 the last time I was pregnant and they didn't like it very much, now they were 6 and our youngest, Demetra, was almost 3. I never realized it before, but almost every three years I got pregnant. We got the kids home and sat down to dinner, all six of us.
"Hey kids, we've got some news." Tony started, he was always better at starting these kinds of conversations than I was.
"We're not moving are we!" was the first response, from Michael. Ever since his and Boone's best friend moves away he's been afraid that we're going to move too.
"No sweetheart, we're not moving. We're going to have another baby." Might as well get it out in the open.
"Really mom? Wow, this is great!" My Lexi, she's going to be a nursery school teacher someday, she just loves kids.
"Mommy, is it gonna be a boy or a girl baby? I want you to have a boy baby, I want another brother." Ah, Boone, he doesn't like having sisters much.
My little Demetra hasn't said anything; I don't know whether she's happy or sad or anything. She's my youngest, well, right now, and she is such a mommy's little helper.
After dinner we all sit down and watch some TV while playing bored games until its time for the kids to go to bed. Tony takes the Lexi and the twins; I told him that I want to talk to Demetra. I sit down with her in the rocking chair in her room; she'll have to move into Lexi's room when the baby comes.
"Hey baby girl. So how do you feel about mommy and daddy having another baby around the house?"
She just shrugs. I don't know what to say, so I sit there with her for a little while, rocking her.
"Mommy, will you still love me when the baby comes?" Her tiny voice asking this question almost brings tears to my eyes.
"Oh, of course I will baby. No matter what I will always love you, so will daddy." She's never been here when there was an addition to the family; she was our last, until now. I sit there with her a little longer, holding her in my arms, letting her know how much I love her. Luckily she falls asleep in my arms and I can just put her down in her bed with out a fuss. I close the door and go kiss the other three goodnights before settling into bed with Tony.
"So is Demetra ok with having a new baby around the house?"
"Yeah, she'll be fine." I snuggle closer to him and he outs his arm around me and kisses the top of my head. We watch TV for a little bit before we are both exhausted from the day and fall asleep. We're in each others arms, like always, and his hands are placed over my belly.