Disclaimer: Not mine, except for what's original..
Author's Note: Chapter Six of "Tater Tots"
Author's Note 2: Thank you so much for waiting so patiently, you guys are awesome. I've been so busy that I haven't had time to write, but here's a Christmas/Holiday gift for you...
Nine Weeks Later
"I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon." Kate, now nearing her seventh month of pregnancy, announced that morning as she came into the office. Gibbs looked up at her, but said nothing. "Okaaayy." Kate rolled her eyes. The tension in the office since Kate announced her pregnancy, had been heavy. Gibbs barked orders at Kate, who had been put on desk duty almost immediatly after the announcement. Kate bickered with Gibbs about everything and Tony was stuck in the middle. It was beginning to take a toll on his realtionship with Kate. They fought more now than they ever had before they found out about the baby. Tony was more wound up than ever, and his health was beginning to show the effects of working in the "hostile" environment. He was tired and generally more cranky than usual.
"Tony going with you?" Gibbs finally broke the silence after a moment.
"He's meeting me there." Kate replied. Gibbs nodded and went back to work. "I'm going to see Abby."
The doors to Abby's lab swooshed open. Kate saw her friend busy with her work, and didn't bother calling out to her. She just switched off the loud, reverberating music and waved her hello.
"Hey Kate." Abby smiled. "Damn girl you're huge." the goth commented on Kate's rather rotund belly.
"Thanks alot Abby." Kate grumbled as she rested against a tall stool.
"Are you alright Kate?"
"Peachy." Kate answered, "No, Abby I'm not okay. I'm worried about Tony. He's not sleeping, he doesn't eat and he's always crabby. I don't know what to do. When I ask him if he's okay, he'll snap at me."
"It's funny, he says the same thing about you."
"Abby."
"It's Gibbs."
"What?"
"Kate, think about it, Gibbs has been on you're butt about everything since you got knocked up. Tony's trying to be a macho man and protect you by going against Gibbs. Tony is stuck between you and Gibbs and he's mad."
"Well that makes sense." Kate realized.
"Hey Kate." Abby said, suddenly giddy.
"What?"
"I knew this girl, she was pregnant, and she was really huge, kind of like you."
"Abby! I'm not huge." Kate protested.
"Face it girl, you're like a bus. Anyway, she had triplets." Abby said.
"You've been hanging around Ducky too long." Kate said.
"I just thought that since you're so big, maybe you're having more than one baby."
"Well, that's not happening to me Abby." Kate rested her hand on her round belly. "I have another ultrasound scheduled for today."
"Are you going to find out the sex?" Abby asked.
"We already know, but we're not telling anyone." Kate answered.
"Telling anyone what?" Tony asked. He came up behind Kate and wrapped his arms around her. Apparently, he was in a better mood this afternoon than he was that morning.
"Kate won't spill the sex of your baby."
"That's because it's our little secret." Tony said. He leaned down and kissed Kate on the cheek. "Ready?" he asked.
Kate nodded and clasped her hand in his.
Dr. Baldwin's office...
"Hello Ms. Todd." the receptionist, Beverly, greeted as Kate signed her name on the sheet. "Oh and I see you brought Mr. DiNozzo with you today." the elderly blue haired woman gave Tony a grin. He waved back. Kate smiled at Beverly, elbowed Tony in the gut and went to sit down.
A pregnant woman with two small children sat nearby.
"Hi." chirped the tow headed little girl. She walked over to Tony. "What's your name?"
"My name's Tony, what's yours?"
"Hannah." the little girl replied, a little giggle escaped her lips. "That's my brother Jayden and my mommy." the girl pointed to her mom and little brother who looked no more than a year and a half. "Mommy says that Jayden is a accident."
"Hannah, that's enough." said the little girl's mother. She set the baby down and pulled Hannah's hand. "Sorry about that." she said to Tony.
"It's okay. It was nice meeting you Hannah." Tony waved.
"Last time I checked, flirting with minors was a crime." Kate teased after the woman and two children went back to see the doctor.
"I was just being polite Kate." Tony replied.
"Whatever you say Jacko."
"Kate, she was like three."
"Relax Tony, I'm only teasing you."
Before Tony could reply, the door to the waiting room opened and Angie, the nurse, appeared.
"Kate." she called.
Tony held out his hand to help Kate up. For a moment, she didn't accept, but the burden of her rather large belly forced her to take Tony's hand.
The parents-to-be followed Angie to the ultrasound room. Tony helped Kate onto the bed, then took a seat in the plastic chair and laced his fingers with Kate's.
Angie squirted Kate's belly with gel, then shut the lights off. Picking up the wand, the nurse/tech clicked a few keys on the keyboard. The sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room.
"That's our girl." Tony whispered in Kate's ear. Kate didn't look at him, her eyes were transfixed on the screen as the black and white image of their daughter came up.
"She looks good." Angie said after a moment of silence. "And it looks like, she's turning so we can get a look at her profile."
Sure enough, the baby changed her position and her full profile came into view.
"She's got your chin." Kate whispered as she stared at the image. Tony didn't reply, he just stared at the image on the screen, too engrossed with his baby's picture to speak.