Tony tried in vain to rub the tiredness out of his eyes as his daughter continued to fuss. He walked back to the make shift crib and picked his daughter up once more. He smiled down at his daughter, despite his grogginess, "Newborns are supposed to sleep. Yeah, they are." She stopped her crying and just looked at him. After a few moments, those eyes fluttered closed and he laid her back down. Within moments, a cry arose. Tony laughed, in spite of everything and turned to get his daughter. But, as he moved to pick her up, the nurse walked in.
"Mr. DiNozzo, let me take her for a while. You need to get some rest." She said, telling him rather than asking him. She took Abby out of the room, probably to the nurses station and Tony found himself far from tired. He plopped down in the rocking chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. No sooner had he let out a reluctant sigh and leaned back to take a nap, the elevator doors opened with a ding. He opened his eyes to see a pair of knee high, chrome studded boots walking down the hallway. As he looked up, he saw that Abby had a big pink balloon in one hand and a giant stuffed studded collar clad bulldog in the other. She made her way over to the nurses station and they pointed their fingers in his direction. She smiled warmly at their dismissive looks and made her way to Tony's room.
"Congradulations Kate and Tony!" Abby whispered-yelled, not knowing if little Abby was a sleep or not. She entered the room and found a crisp, clean, not yet laid in bed. Turning around with a puzzled look, she found Tony sitting in the rocking chair. He looked horrible. The bags under his eyes looked like bruises and his stuble had been left unattended. "Tony." She breathed worriedly, sitting on the couch next to him. She wrapped him in a hug, one that he didnt return, and that was how Gibbs and McGee found them.
Once Gibbs had laid eyes on Abby and Tony, he brushed passed McGee and made his way back to the nursing station. "Where is Kate DiNozzo, room 208?" he demanded, though he already had a pretty good idea.
The nurse stuttered and shrank under Gibbs icy tone and glare, "She, well sir, she died."
Gibbs froze. His eyes lost their coldness as he ran a hand over his eyes and short hair. He made his way back to Tony's room. He motioned for everyone to leave and once they had, and kneeled so he was eye level with his senior field agent.
"Jeez, Tony." he muttered, laying a hand on the shoulder of the younger man.
Tony broke his unfocused stare at the wall, "Boss." his tone was that of a broken down, empty man, "I-Kate-she-..." he gulped in air, trying to hold back the tears. "Shes gone and I-I.."
"I know, DiNozzo, I know." Gibbs said softly, trying to comfort him.
Tony smiled meekly, "I messed up, Boss. And you c-can't just slap in the back of the head this time." His eyes gleaned with unshed tears, but Tony refused to let them fall."
"Shh, Tony. You need your rest." Gibbs said, getting up. The man was exausted and everyone could see it. "Get some rest, DiNozzo. Thats an order." Gibbs added the latter part once he saw the young father begin to protest. He walked out of the room without a backwards glance.
Tony, finally letting the walls crumble down, let himself be drifted off to sleep.
Out in the hall, Gibbs was met with a running hug from Abby and a soft, "Sorry, Boss." from McGee who had been trying to "contain" Abby. Gibbs hugged her back, not telling her that everything was going to be ok because, for once, he didn't know if it would be or not.