Authors Note:
Sorry all
I thought I posted this months ago.
So you get a two-fer
Gibbs was down the steps and in the bullpen, "Grab your gear."
"We've got a case boss?" Tim asked his surprise on his face.
"Nope we're done for the day. Off for the weekend. Go home rest up. Be back Monday."
Tim and Ziva looked at each other and grabbed their bags before the surprise could be rescinded. The two were on the elevator before Gibbs could grab his own bag.
As he walked by Balboa's section he nodded a thanks to the team lead and was on the elevator himself.
Time crawled as he tried to get home. It had been a half hour since Ducky's call. He just wanted to have Tony in his arm.
His phone rang and he answered it looking at the caller id. "Yeah Tim."
"Are we really off rotation?"
"Yeah we really are off rotation. Switched with Balboa. Got to work his next which won't be for three weeks."
"Okay. How is Tony?" Tim asked.
"Don't know yet. Just about home. I'll let everyone know."
"Okay Boss. I'll let Ziva know."
"Thanks Tim."
Pulling into his drive, Jethro got out and ran up the steps, once inside Ducky nodded to the stairs but before Jethro could go up them Ducky handed him a small square envelope.
Jethro looked at the envelope and raise an eyebrow in question.
"It is from the ultrasound. Tony wouldn't look at the monitor. I think if he could have managed to not hear the heartbeat he would have. He didn't want to see the baby unless you were there."
Jethro's own heart stopped at the mention of the baby's heart beat. This was real. This was going to happen.
"Oh dear, come sit down. Tony is asleep. Take a moment."
Jethro took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He pulled a few relaxation techniques he knew from his sniper days out and used them.
Duck watched as the color came back into his face and the terrified look left. He knew this was going to be hard on the man, given what had happened to Kelly.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah Duck, just the heartbeat thing..."
"Ah reality hit."
"Yeah. He really didn't look?"
"No had his eyes closed the whole time. He wouldn't let me tell him what was going to happen with the amniocentesis either."
"Why did they want that?" Jethro knew that was a painful test.
"Dr. Dean wanted some of the baby's blood to check for the abnormality, and after seeing the way Tony's anatomy is he wanted to verify you where the father."
"What?"
"The three of us saw the same thing Jethro, there was no path for the-" Ducky stopped as Jethro's face grew red with embarrassment, "Jethro is Tony was a woman you wouldn't have this sort of a problem."
"I know Ducky, but this is private."
"Jethro this needs to be discussed if only once." Waiting for Jethro to accept it Ducky waited for his friend. Once Jethro nodded Ducky continued. "There did not appear to be a path leading from Tony's uterus. The only path was from the one ovary he has. But it was only an ultrasound. With other detailed scans we may see a path for the semen to have traveled to the uterus to be fertilized."
"What Ducky is trying to say is they thought I was some kind of frog and got myself pregnant." Tony said from the bottom stair.
Jethro rushed to Tony, "You look like hell."
"Thanks, I would bitch about that description but I feel like hell."
"Are you okay Tony?" Ducky asked checking a few things.
"Head ache, visions a little blurry, and my side hurts like a mother."
"Let's get you back upstairs and comfortable," Ducky ushered them back to the bedroom, "How long since you ate?"
"This morning before we left. It's not time yet. It's not that kind of vision and stuff. Just a head ache and I think the head ache is messing with my vision."
Jethro looked at his partner. He looked pale and shaky but he didn't look thinner or have the scent he gets when he doesn't eat.
"The test shouldn't have cause any of these symptoms Tony."
"Maybe rugrat doesn't like being poked." Tony curled up on the bed, Jethro sat on the bed and moved back to the head board, "Come here. Let's just rest for a bit."
"Thanks Jet. I think if I can sleep for a while I'll be ok."
"If you feel worse let me know immediately." Ducky said leaving the room shutting the door behind him.
"Lay down with me please," Tony asked.
Jethro moved down so they where even on the bed. He didn't know what to do to comfort Tony.
"I just need you. You don't need to do anything but be here."
"Pulling a me?"
"Yeah sometimes I know what you're thinking."
Jethro smiled. He turned and picked up the envelope off the night stand. "Ducky gave this to me. I'm sorry, I should have been there this morning."
"It's okay. I didn't think it would be that important to me. When I heard the heart... I," Tony's throat tightened again, "when I heard the baby's heartbeat, I needed you there. But if I waited for you to come I would have backed out. So I just closed my eyes and wished for you."
"Do you want to look now?" Jethro asked wiggling the envelope.
"If you want to." Tony was trying to read Jethro's face but couldn't.
"I want to see the baby," Jethro spoke threw that emotions churning inside him. He never wanted to have children again after Kelly. But there had to be a reason for this child, so he was going to work on accepting the baby, their baby.
Tony nodded and tried to take the envelope to open it but his hands were shaking too much. "You do it." Tony whispered.
Jethro nodded and opened it, his own hands shaking. He pulled the glossy black picture free and picked up Tony's hand putting it on one side and his on one side before tipping the picture up so they could see it at the same time.
There before them was a highlighted form of a fetus. Tony felt a tear run down his cheek. He laid his head on Jethro's chest. "That's our baby."
"Yes it is. Any preferences?"
"Healthy and not a hemophage." Tony said with a hint of a question.
"Is that really what you want?"
"Isn't that what your suppose to want?"
"Yeah it is. But I am serious."
"Doesn't matter to me, not like we can change the sex because it's not what we want."
"True. Oh I should tell you something."
"Uh am I going to like this something?" Tony asked tipping his head up so he could see Jethro's face.
"Actually two some things. We're off rotation this weekend. Switched with Balboa, oh uh three things. Balboa know about us. Just us being together nothing else." Jethro added quickly since he felt Tony stiffen in his arms. As soon as Tony relaxed Jethro continued, "He is fine with it. So that's two of them. The other is Olivia is also a hemophage."
"What?" Tony sat up quickly and grabbed his spinning head. His headache had subsided but had it back was back full force now. Laying back down on Jethro's chest, Tony tried again, "What?"
"Are you okay? Do you want me to get Ducky?"
"No it's okay. I just sat up to fast. Now what was that last bit?"
"Olivia is a hemophage. I caught her and Vance in his office."
"Oh my god. What did they say?"
"Olivia asked if I knew someone. Vance tried saying it wasn't what it looked like. I told him it looked like he was feeding his hemophage secretary."
"What did he say?"
"Oh well I guess it was what it looked like."
"Did you tell them about me?"
"No, they asked how I knew. Told them I knew one and would ask if it was alright to tell them."
"Do you think we should?"
"Think we need to ask everyone before we decide."
Abby knocked on the door opening it slightly. She smiled seeing the couple curled around each other.
"Yeah Abby, what's up?" Tony asked without moving.
"Dr. Dean told me before I left if you wanted everyone there at one of your appointments it would be ok."
"Thanks Abby."
"Did you look at the picture yet?"
"Yeah Abs, we looked at the rugrat." Tony said, he patted the bed in front of them. When she sat down, he reached for her hand.
"Are you okay?" Abby asked.
"Yeah I've got a headache is all. No not that kind. I think it's just stress."
"Should I check with Ducky and see if you can take some Tylenol?"
"In a bit. I'm just going to take a nap and see if it goes away."
"Okay. I'm going to let you go to sleep then. We're going to move some things to the new house. Do you want us to get some of your stuff from your apartment?"
"No I'll go over tomorrow and get a few things. Think we need to do the whole furniture plan thing."
"Yeah that's the other thing we are taking pictures of our furniture from our main rooms and measuring it."
"Well you know there's only one dining room and we all have tables. But I don't think any of us have a one big enough for all of us."
"We'll figure it. Don't need to figure it out today." Abby slowly got off the bed so she didn't cause Tony's headache to spike. "We'll stop by later and talk."
"Thanks Abby." Jethro said as she shut the door.
The couple curled into each other and fell asleep.