Disclaimer: The characters in this story are fictional, and not my creation, I merely spend my spare time playing with them in this fantastic fan-fiction. :D

Chapter 3

Abby laid quietly on the bed in the exam room, and Ziva moved so she could sit where they would be able to see each other and talk if she wanted to, while they waited for the doctor to come in. "Do you want me to call McGee?" Ziva asked, her cell phone already in her hand.

Abby shook her head. "No..not yet. It's probably nothing." Abby said as she tried to relax.

Ziva knew better, simply by the tone of Abby's voice. If the nurse hadn't asked her to lay down, Ziva was sure Abby would be pacing back and forth, her hands up in front of her as she listed off things that it couldn't be.

"If it's not nothing, Abby?" Ziva asked, knowing that while Abby might deny any medical issues, she would be truthful, and then at least Ziva might know what sort of concerns should be expressed in the event that she needed to call McGee.

"High blood pressure is usually an indication of preeclampsia. If it's really high, they'll probably have to induce me. If it goes untreated…it could lead to a stroke, or seizures."

Ziva tilted her head. "Are you sure you do not want me to call Tim?"

Abby glanced up at the clock as the doctor knocked on the door. "No, he's right in the middle of his appointment with the publisher." She replied, as the doctor settled down on the stool to begin the usual routine of questions.

When the doctor had asked her series of questions, she stood up and had Abby roll so she was lying on her back instead of her side, so that she could get to Abby's arm to take her blood pressure.

She pumped the cuff, and then waited, counting. Her lips drew into a thin line as she noted the results. She looked up to Abby who'd grown paler, if possible, and offered a thin smile. It was the sort of smile that was meant to be reassuring, but in this setting it did nothing to reassure Abby.

Her voice was soft, as she returned the cuff to the hook designed for it. "I'm going to go talk to one of the nurses for a minute, go ahead and lay back down, and I'll be right back."

The doctor left the room, and Ziva noted Abby's expression as she laid back down. "I'm going to call Tim." Ziva said.

Abby shook her head. "His appointment should be over in twenty minutes…nothing's going to happen that he'll miss in that amount of time.

Ziva relented, leaning back in the chair as the doctor returned.

"Abby, I'm concerned about your blood pressure, and I'd like to send you to the hospital for monitoring for a little while, ok?"

The look of resignation on Abby's face as she nodded made Ziva wish that Tim was here, more than anything. He should be here for his family. Abby needed all the support she could get right now. Ziva didn't know anything about the condition, but she could tell by Abby's expressions that it wasn't good.

"Can we go back to my place to get my hospital bag?" Abby asked the doctor, who looked from Abby to Ziva and back again. "I'd rather you went straight to the hospital." Doctor Liberman replied. "We'll call ahead and let them know you're on your way. When you get there, just stop in at registration, and then head up to Labor and Delivery.."

Abby nodded, lifting her purse, and preparing to leave. Ziva followed her out the door. "Once Tim gets there, I can go back to your place and pick up whatever you'll need." She offered as they walked toward Checkout.

Abby only nodded again. Normally her cheerful self, she was now full of so many concerns. She still had four and a half weeks to go. Baby would technically be premature if it was born today, and their last ultrasound had shown the baby measuring small, which indicated there was more of a chance that the baby would be under developed.

She felt like all of her doubts and fears were coming true, and it was hard for her optimistic self to shine through the cloud of concerns as Ziva unlocked the doors of her car, and then turned the key in the ignition.

Ziva glanced occasionally at Abby as she drove them to the hospital. Surely Abby was far enough along for everything to be ok with the baby, she thought. Everything had to be ok.

Abby pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Tim's number when they were about half way to the hospital. "Tim, the doctor's sending me over to the hospital for monitoring..they're a little concerned about my blood pressure…..I'm fine, just a little worried…Tim, the baby may be coming today. Preeclampsia's not something they mess with…I love you too."

A/N: Sorry, the end's a tad hurried there. Next chapter to come soon…