Chapter Eleven: Showered With Love

Jenny and Josie were just finishing up breakfast when the team arrived. Gibbs was cuddling with Bailey at the table, waiting for the little boy to come to life while he enjoyed spending time with his wife and daughter. Tony grabbed a bowl from the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of Lucky Charms.

"Well why don't you make yourself at home, Tony," Ziva said with a laugh.

"Why wouldn't I, Ziva?" Tony asked. Going over to Gibbs' house was like going home. There was always lots of food and lots of love to go around and that was something Tony had missed out on during his childhood. Being shuttled from boarding school to boarding school and leaving his father alone so he could close business deals wasn't exactly the most nurturing environment.

Things were different with Gibbs though. He didn't care about the size of his bank account. He cared about the ones he loved. He'd taken Tony under his wing and fathered him in his own, unique Gibbs' way. He put up with his crazy antics, listened to him ramble, took care of him when he was hurting and best of all, he loved him unconditionally. He was Gibbs; he was the dad.

Jenny took care of their breakfast dishes while Abby helped Josie get her shoes tied. The charms attached to her shoelaces bounced against the shoe as the four year old made her way back into the dining room to say goodbye to Daddy.

Gibbs wrapped one arm around his little girl and pulled her close to his side. "Have fun, Baby Girl," he said, "and take good care of Mommy for me."

"I will," Josie said with a big smile. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, Sweet Pea," Gibbs said before kissing her head. "I'll see you later."

Josie took Abby and Ziva's hands and skipped out to the car. They transferred one of the booster seats to the car they were taking while they waited for Jenny. Gibbs stood with Bailey and gave Jenny a one armed hug.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jenny said. "I actually kind of slept pretty good last night. Those pillows helped a lot."

"I'm glad," Gibbs said. He could tell Jenny was feeling pretty good that morning and that made him happy. He would do anything he could to help ease the discomfort. "I love you," he said before leaning in and kissing her. "Have fun. I'll see you tonight."

"I love you, Jethro," Jenny replied. "Have fun with your daddy, Bailey. I'll be back later. Love you, Buddy."

"Love you, Mommy," Bailey said.

Gibbs walked Jenny to the car and he and Bailey waved goodbye to the girls before going back inside. Tony was finished with his second breakfast for the day and took Bailey from Gibbs. It took less than a minute for him to have the little boy laughing and playing.

The baby shower wasn't scheduled to start for a couple hours but the girls had to be there early to decorate. Ziva and Abby were going to take care of the decorations by themselves but Jenny and Josie wanted to help and it got them out of the house while the guys painted the nursery. Yellow and orange balloons and streamers were hung, the tables were sprinkled with matching confetti and multicolored cotton ball bouquets made by Abby served as unique centerpieces.

Abby and Ziva got the games organized and set up the food table while Josie helped Jenny make the punch. A group of close friends, family and coworkers had been invited and the girls were looking forward to an afternoon of laughter and fun as they celebrated the new life Jenny would soon be bringing into the world. There would be sandwiches and salads for lunch, fun baby themed games and thoughtful gifts for the new arrival.

The guys got right to work moving all of Josie's bedroom furniture into Bailey's room. Gibbs and Jenny weren't overly thrilled about the idea but the twins didn't seem to mind sharing a room. They often played together in one bedroom or the other anyways. Gibbs and Jenny planned on finding a bigger house after the baby came but they had too much going on to deal with moving before. They had started looking through a few homes books and Jenny had been surfing the web whenever she had a little downtime but nothing would happen for a couple months at least.

Once Josie's room was emptied out they got to work painting. That was their most time consuming project but with the three of them working together it would go pretty fast. Gibbs and Jenny had gone together and chosen a neutral, very light tan color partly because they'd chosen to be surprised about the baby's gender and partly because they anticipated moving and didn't want to repaint a baby themed room. They would add colorful bedding and curtains and other accessories to bring the room to life.

While Gibbs, Tony and Tim were painting, Bailey was given the task of collecting all the things they'd already bought for the baby. Most of it was in Gibbs and Jenny's closet or in shopping bags in the corner of their bedroom but there were a few things in the living room and the gifts the twins had chosen for the baby were tucked away in their closet. It was finally time to put it all in the baby's room.

For lunch the guys headed for a nearby pizza buffet. They enjoyed their meal over silly jokes and mindless conversation. It was nice to hang out together and just have fun. Tony challenged everyone to a pizza eating contest to spice things up a little. Gibbs and Tim were too wise and turned him down. Bailey knew he was no match for his uncle but accepted the challenge anyways. The fun was over as soon as Gibbs put a limit on how much pizza the four year old was allowed to consume. He didn't want the fun to end with Bailey throwing up all afternoon.

After their bellies were full and they'd had a relaxing break they returned to the house. Gibbs, Tony and Tim brought the furniture up from the basement while Bailey started organizing the baby stuff. The little boy put diapers in the changing table, threw the colorful quilt into the crib followed by the package of sheets and the decorative pillows. Toys and books were put on shelves, powders and lotions were put on the changing table and clothing was thrown haphazardly into the dresser.

The girls arrived home just as the guys deemed their work for the day as being done. They oo-ed and ah-ed, thrilling the guys with a job well done. Gibbs, Tony and Tim carried all the gifts from the baby shower up to the nursery while Jenny, Ziva and Abby worked on getting the room a little more organized. There was a car seat and a stroller, mountains of diapers and an endless supply of onesies. Since no one knew the sex of the baby that seemed to be the go to clothes gift. There were brightly colored toys, all of them with different patterns and textures to stimulate the infant's senses, some noisy and some quiet. Books and bath toys, shampoos, wet wipes and more lotions, blankets and bibs, pacifiers and bottles, a high chair and a baby bath, diaper bags and baby monitors, gift cards for clothes; the gifts seemed endless.

Gibbs found himself wondering how someone so small needed so much. He'd been deployed when Kelly had been born and missed out on the first part of her life, something he regretted to that day. Back then it had been necessary. He had to make a living to support his family. He was thankful he could be there for Jack or Lizzy and experience every good and bad moment of their life.

The girls took over in the nursery leaving Gibbs, Tony and Tim to wash up. They were covered in paint and all three of them were hot and sweaty. Gibbs and Tony jumped in the two upstairs showers first while Tim took a moment to rest. Jenny ran out and got a bucket of chicken for dinner while the guys finished cleaning up. The hungry group feasted until they were full then collapsed in the living room and watched the twins play. It had been a long day and they were all tired but nobody was ready to say goodbye.

"I can't wait for the baby to get here," Abby said resting her hand on Jenny's stomach.

"You and me both, Abs," Jenny said. "I know he or she is small but it sure is a heavy load to carry around."

"I can give you a back massage," Abby offered.

"I'm not going to turn you down," Jenny said scooting forward so Abby could slip in behind her. Abby went to work rubbing the knots out of the tight muscles in Jenny's back, shoulders and neck.

Everyone placed bets on whether the newborn would be a boy or girl. Tony and Abby both put money on it being a girl while Tim and Ziva thought it would be a boy. Abby tried to get Gibbs or Jenny to reveal the names they were considering but the new parents were being tight lipped about it, just to torture the team a little more. Abby was the only one making herself crazy trying to figure out the baby's gender and Gibbs and Jenny were having fun watching. All ultrasound photos were scrutinized and when they failed to provide any new information the Goth turned to old wives tales. Jenny was constantly answering odd questions and performing strange tasks while Abby assessed her answers and recorded her choices.

"The baby's moving, Abs," Jenny said. "Do you want to feel?" Before she knew it she had four hands on her belly and four voices encouraging the baby to squirm a little more. Gibbs watched with a smile on his face as his four big kids experienced something that still left him in awe. Whenever he rested his hand on Jenny's stomach and talked to his child, the baby would respond by moving around. If he gently rubbed her stomach and sang softly, the baby seemed to calm down. Gibbs thought it was better than a magic trick, it was the miracle of life and it would never grow old.

A long, low moan told Gibbs that Jenny was having another Braxton Hicks contraction. He moved the group back to give her some room and reminded Jenny to breathe through it. It passed almost as quickly as it came on.

"Are you sure that wasn't a real contraction?" Abby asked. "Maybe you should go to the hospital just to be sure."

"I'm sure, Abs," Jenny said. "I've been having them for a couple weeks now. Dr. Brandt says my bodies just practicing for the real thing."

"Okay," Abby said looking on in concern, "if you're sure."

"We should get going," Ziva said. "Gibbs and Jenny need their rest and we do too. It has been a long day."

"Ziva's right," Abby admitted, even though she really didn't want to go. The excitement of the day was still alive inside her. She wished it was time for the baby to come. She wanted to hold her new brother or sister. She wanted to know its gender and name, play with it and cuddle it, feed it and even change its messy diaper. She wanted to do it all. She didn't want to wait another month and a half. That was too long.

"You can't leave already," Josie said.

"We'll be back another day," Abby said.

"Aw," Josie said scrunching up her face in disapproval.

Gibbs swung her up into his arms and kissed her forehead and both cheeks before rubbing noses with her. Josie giggled and cuddled into him. Tony, Tim, Ziva and Abby got their shoes on and headed out. It had been a long, busy day. After goodbyes were said and the younger agents were safely on their way Gibbs locked up the house and headed back into the living room.

"Why did they have to leave already?" Josie whined. "I wanted them to stay and play with us."

"It's almost time for bed, Sweet Pea," Gibbs said. "I've got to get you and your brother in the tub and read bedtime stories and give bedtime kisses and tuck you in then I've got to get Mommy in the tub and do the same thing with her."

Josie giggled at the thought of her daddy helping her mommy take a bath. Mommy was a big girl and didn't need help anymore. Jenny tickled Josie's belly making the little girl laugh even harder until Gibbs put her down so she could help Bailey get their toys cleaned up.

"You take such good care of us," Jenny said snuggling into Gibbs' side. She leaned in closer so she could speak without the twins overhearing. "Might have to reward you for it after the kids go to sleep."

Gibbs looked over at Jenny happily. He suddenly wasn't feeling as tired anymore but instead was motivated to get the kids bathed and put to bed quickly so he could have some intimate time with his wife. Jenny had been feeling less and less like making love as the pregnancy wore on. As her belly grew so did her discomfort and they'd settled for being intimate with each other in other ways. They cuddled at night, he gave her frequent massages and they often shared long, warm, relaxing baths. Hugs and kisses were a way for them to share affection frequently as was hand holding and simply sitting propped up against each other. Their wild, passionate love making that had ruled most of the first and second trimester had given way to subtle, more creative ways for them to express their love to one another. It was a fun adventure but if Jenny wanted to make love that night, he certainly wasn't going to deny her.

He leaned over and kissed her. After a quick peek at the kids to see they were engrossed with their toys, he let the kiss turn passionate for a brief moment. Jenny ran her hand down the side of his face as she smiled at him. She knew he missed the physical connection, she did too but he was so gracious and patient and loving with her that she felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Never before had a man been so attentive to her needs.

Sure, he knew how to push her buttons and could send her into a rage faster than anyone else on the planet but he could also make her insides turn to mush with the care he provided and patience he showed. At home and off the job, Gibbs was a totally different person. He knew how to separate family and work, play time and work time, he knew when to be on guard and when to let his guard down, he knew when to offer his love and when to be the hand of discipline; his world was in order and he kept his family safe from harm. His job was high stakes, life or death and he wasn't willing to let anyone on his team—in his family go. Life was the only option and he knew how to keep them alive. He was dad, their confidant, their protector. He always knew what to say or do and they always knew they could go to him and he would fix everything, even if he did have to yell a little first. They knew he expected them to come to him and though he may be hard on them, it was only because he cared.