Hey y'all! I am so sorry that it has taken me a million times longer than I had anticipated to get this chapter up. I hope even though I have been ridiculously behind there are still a few of you out there who are reading this. Winter semester of college killed me. Model UN in high school is a completely different caliber than in college. At least at my college, we go hard. It's a major time suck, but I had the time of my life.
I'm working full time this summer at school doing research, but I actually have quite a bit of free time. I will be finishing this story this summer. My muse can never just be happy with one story at a time. I have about 10 different story ideas rolling around in my brain, so I should be posting more stories as the summer goes by.
You guys are fantastic! Read and review. Pretty please! My muse lives off of feedback and suggestions.
Christmas morning dawned cold and snowy. Jenny awoke just after 6 am. She was tucked warmly under a pile of blankets and her husband was wrapped around her back. She wasn't sure what woke her up-until her stomach started rolling. Jenny took a few deep breaths hoping to calm her rebelling stomach; however, luck was not on her side. Less than a minute later, she was running for the adjoining bathroom. She had barely been able to kneel in front of the toilet and get the lid up before her Christmas Eve dinner came back up.
It took all of 2 seconds for Gibbs to wake up and figure out what was going on. He grabbed a blanket off the end of the bed before joining his wife in the bathroom. He kneeled behind his her and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and pulled her hair away from her face. Gibbs winced as Jenny struggled to breath between her violent heaves. When Jenny came up for air 15 minutes later, she let Jethro help her up and she brushed her teeth.
"I thought you were past the throwing up stage?" Gibbs asked, wrapping his arms around her, concern shimmering in his eyes. Jenny shrugged her shoulders and cuddled into his embrace. "I thought so too. Maybe I just ate too much at dinner last night.
Gibbs immediately looked skeptical, "You ate nowhere near enough last night. Is something wrong?"
"Not particularly. I'm just worried about how everybody is going to react to the baby."
Gibbs sighed, "Jen, everyone is going to be happy for us; they have no reason not to be."
"I know. My hormones are making me completely irrational."
"Let's jump in the shower. Hopefully, it will help you feel better." Gibbs suggested
Jenny let Gibbs lead her in to the shower. Throughout the shower, she leaned heavily on him and let him take charge. She felt weak, tired, and her throat was raw. Once they were out of the shower, Gibbs double checked the Jenny was okay before he headed downstairs leaving her to finish getting ready.
Gibbs entered the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. His dad wasn't up yet, but he figured he would be soon. While the coffee was brewing, he grabbed his cell phone and called Ducky. He glanced at the clock; he was sure that the ME would be awake.
"Merry Christmas, Jethro." Ducky answered
"Merry Christmas, Duck. Do you have a moment?"
"For you, I have several."
"Jenny was exceptionally sick this morning. In the shower earlier, she could barely stand on her own. I hadn't been in there she would have collapsed. I don't know what to do Duck."
"Did she eat dinner last night?"
"Only a few bites of turkey and mashed potatoes. She hasn't eaten anything this morning yet."
"Jethro, she needs to eat something. Preferably something with natural sugars. She has low blood sugar."
"Duck the odds of getting her to eat anything at this point are slim."
"Tell her it isn't an option. If her blood sugar gets too low she will pass out and need to go to the hospital to get an IV. Give her a glass of juice, some fruit, and toast. That should help. If not give me a call back."
"Thanks Duck. I hate to bother you. I just worry about her."
"You're welcome, Jethro. You aren't bothering me. You are family."
Gibbs hung up with Ducky and proceeded to start putting together breakfast for Jenny. Jenny wandered into the kitchen and fell into a kitchen chair a few minutes later. Her red curls were flowing over her shoulders, she had black yoga pants on, and Gibbs' old Marine Core crewneck. Her cheeks were gaining their color back but she was still a little too pale for Gibbs' taste.
Gibbs set toast with jelly, apple juice, and a banana with peanut butter in front of Jenny and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I know you really don't want to eat anything right now, but you have to at least give it a shot."
"Jethro, I really don't see this ending very well." Jenny said swallowing thickly
He grabbed a cup of coffee and pulled a kitchen chair close to Jenny. She laid her head down on his shoulder and in return he ran a hand through her curls. "I know you aren't feeling very well, but I worry about you. Ducky thinks if you eat something and get your blood sugar up you'll feel better. He's concerned that if your blood sugar gets too low you're going to need to go to the hospital."
Jenny sighed and picked up a piece of toast taking a small bite followed by a sip of juice. "Thank you, Jethro."
Gibbs kissed her forehead again in response and ran a hand up and down her back. Jack walked into the kitchen wearing jeans and a Christmas sweater with Rudolf on it. He had heard the last part of the couple's conversation, but he was going to wait until the right time to inquire about it.
"Merry Christmas!" Jackson greeted as he came into the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas, Dad." Gibbs replied
"Merry Christmas, Jack." Jenny said quietly
Jackson grabbed a cup of coffee and sat across from the couple. He scrutinized their actions as they interacted. His son was watching Jenny like a hawk as she nibbled on her breakfast. Other than his daughter-in-law being a little pale, he couldn't see anything inherently wrong.
"Is there something you need to tell me?" Jackson asked slightly worried
Despite still feeling pretty crappy, Jenny smiled brightly and elbowed her husband. "I told you he would notice something. That means you lose."
Gibbs sent his wife a small glare before he smiled. "Shouldn't we just wait until we tell Tony and Kate? Kill three birds with one stone. I like this being our little secret."
Jenny rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Stop being so selfish, Jethro." Jenny looked from her husband to meet her father-in-laws gaze, "I'm almost three months pregnant."
At that piece of information, Jackson was genuinely surprised. He wasn't sure what exactly he was anticipating but it definitely wasn't that. "Pregnant? Is this some sort of joke?"
Gibbs smirked at his dad's shock, "It's not a joke."
Jack was honestly speechless. "Wow. A baby. I'm going to be a grandpa again! How are you feeling?"
Jenny winced at that, "Well let's just say the bathroom and I are a becoming better friends than I would ever wanted to be. It's quite a change going from one pregnancy with no morning sickness to a pregnancy plagued with morning sickness."
"Well it has been twenty years since your last pregnancy." Jack pointed out
Gibbs felt Jenny tense next to him. Besides the two of them, Ducky was the only other person who knew about the miscarriage. "Ten years ago, Jen was involved in a car accident. We didn't know she was pregnant until after the fact."
"I'm so sorry." Jack said offering his condolences
"Let's not dwell. It's Christmas morning and it was in the past." Jenny said softly
All further conversation was halted when Tony and Kate came into the kitchen.
An hour later, the family of 5 was seated around the Christmas tree. Wrapping paper, bows, and boxes littered the floor. Kate was about to get up and start picking up, but Tony pulled her back onto the couch next him. "I still have one more present for you. Close your eyes and don't move." Tony said before hurrying out of the family room.
He returned quickly and set something in Kate's lap. She opened her eyes to see a Corgi puppy with floppy ears and red bow in her lap. "Oh my god! Tony, he's adorable! Do I get to keep him?" Kate exclaimed.
"Actually he is a she. And she is yours to keep. Ducky's Corgi had puppies and I thought that she would be a good Christmas present." Tony explained
Kate hugged the puppy close and kissed Tony on the cheek. "This is one of the sweetest things you've done in a while, Tony. She's perfect! I'll have to think of a name for her." Kate exclaimed. Kate handed the puppy to her mom so she could properly thank Tony for her gift. The family laughed when the puppy licked Jenny's face excitedly. Suddenly, Kate realized something. "Dad, if Ducky's dog had puppies why didn't you get mom one?"
"Puppies and babies really don't mix very well." Gibbs said without even thinking.
The entire room seemed to freeze and Gibbs realized his mistake. He rubbed a hand down Jenny's arm reassuringly.
"Wait, what?!" Kate asked
"I'm almost three months pregnant." Jenny answered
"Who knew you had it in ya boss?" At the glare he received, Tony continued. "I mean congratulations boss and Jenny. I'm looking forward to having a brother or sister in law."
Kate handed the puppy to Tony before jumping off of the couch and pulling her mom into a hug. "I'm so happy for you guys! I'm finally getting a younger sibling!" Kate cheered
Jenny beamed at Gibbs who in turn smiled back. "I told you it was all going to be fine, Jen."
TBC