Gibbs walked into the waiting room and sat across from Ducky. "The big moment is drawing nearer?" Ducky asked.
Gibbs nodded. "And Tony made it just in time."
"Good. I think Charity would have killed him had he not made it." Ducky replied.
Gibbs chuckled. "She is a redhead...and my daughter."
"Is the baby here yet?" came the voice of Joanne.
Gibbs looked towards the doorway, where she stood. "Almost." He answered.
"Where's their room? Is my grandson here yet?" came the voice of Senior.
"Where're your mother and former mother-in-law?" Joanne asked.
"They stopped in front of the window in the nursery to look at all of the babies." Senior answered. "Is he here yet?"
"Nope." Gibbs answered. "It's almost time, though."
Just then, Grammy 'Nozzo and Grandma Paddington came into the room. "Is everyone here for my little Tony and his lovely wife's baby?" Grammy 'Nozzo asked.
"Yup." Gibbs answered.
Grammy 'Nozzo zeroed in on him. There was a twinkle in her eyes and a coy smile spready across her face. She walked over and took the seat next to him. "I'm Celia DiNozzo, Tony's grandmother."
Gibbs offered her his hand. "Jethro Gibbs, Charity's father."
Grammy 'Nozzo took his hand and her smile brightened. "Now, I see where Charity gets those gorgeous blue eyes!"
"She also gets her stubbornness from him." Joanne commented, her voice a little cold.
Senior put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it's a wonderful occasion today. Your granddaughter and my son are having a baby boy. It's a very happy time."
Just then a little Gothic blur came into the room, bouncing up and down. "Is the baby here yet?" Abby asked.
"Not yet." Ducky answered. "Why don't you sit down, Dear?"
"I can't. I'm too excited." Abby replied.
"Who are you?" Grandma Paddington asked, looking at Abby.
"Abby Scuito, I'm the forensics specialist at NCIS. I work with Charity."
"I see." Grandma Paddington replied, looking Abby up and down.
The rest of the team arrived a few minutes later, even Ziva returning. They had finished up the case and were all feeling excited to see the new life, that was to be joining them.
In the delivery room...
Charity leaned back on the bed. Tony stood beside her, holding her hand and wearing scrubs. She gripped Tony's hand and let out a cry as another contraction hit her. The doctor finished scrubbing up and now sat at the bottom of the bed, ready to catch. Nurses stood by, ready for when the baby arrived, so they could clean and way him.
"Alright, Charity, on your next contraction, I want you to lean forward and push. Okay?" The doctor told her.
Charity nodded, the last contraction having subsided. Tony dabbed her brow with a cool towel.
The next contraction hit. "Push." The doctor commanded.
Charity leaned forward and pushed with all of her strength and gripping Tony's hand tight. She cried out in pain. The contract eased up and Charity fell back against the bed, gasping for breath. Tony dabbed her brow once again. "You're doing great, honey." He told her.
She looked at him. "If you ever... want to have sex again... you're getting a vasectomy." Charity managed between gasps.
"We'll discuss this later...when you're not in massive amounts of pain." Tony replied.
"Alright, Charity, time to push again." The doctor ordered.
Charity felt the contraction and leaned forward once again, pushing with everything she had. She fell back at the end of the contraction. A few moments later, another one ripped through her body and she pushed. She fell back as it ended, feeling exhausted.
"Alright, Charity one more push." The doctor told her.
Charity was on the verge of tears. She didn't think she had the energy in her body for anymore of it. "I...I can't do it." she said.
Tony got close to her. He put himself eye-level with her and stared deep into her eyes. "Charity, you can do this. You have faced some of the most dangerous criminals...terrorists even...you have been shot and survived some of the worst losses a person can go through. You can do this. It's just one more push and it'll all be over. Besides, I'm right here with you."
"Yeah, but all you have to do is hold my hand...I'm the one that has to push...another human being...out of...my body."
"Charity, you can do this...how many times have you faced death and come out on top? Come on, just one more push and our handsome little boy will be here. You can do it."
The contraction it and Charity leaned forward, shoving Tony out of her face and almost knocking him to the ground. Since she'd had a solid grip on his hand, however, Tony was able to use her arm to keep his balance.
Charity cried out as she pushed. She used everything she had, feeling her muscles straining with the effort. After what felt like an eternity, she felt the sudden release in her body and heard the first cries of her baby.
"It's a boy." The doctor declared. "Do you want to cut the cord, Daddy?"
Charity released Tony's hand and he walked down. He took the scalpel and cut where the doctor showed him. "How is he?" Charity asked.
"I see all ten fingers and ten toes." Tony answered. "And most importantly...I see that he is all boy."
Charity had to smile at that. If she had had the strength, she probably would have laughed.
The doctor handed AJ over to the nurses and they cleaned him up and measured and weighed him. "Five pounds, ten ounces, and nineteen and a half inches long." The nurse declared.
The doctor checked him out, listening to his breathing and his heart. "Everything appears to be healthy here. Lungs and heart are fine."
AJ was wrapped up in a blanket and then handed to his father. Tony looked down at the tiny baby boy in his arms and the biggest grin he had ever had, lit up his face.
"How is he?" Charity asked.
"Perfect." Tony answered. He then bent down and gently placed AJ in Charity's arms.
Charity looked down at the baby boy in her arms. Tears of joy began to flow down her face. "He's beautiful."
Tony kissed the top of her head. "We do great work together."
Charity looked into the face of her son, not saying a word. She had known that her mother had loved her and her sister, but until this moment, she had never known just how much. She had never understood how her mother could have loved her, even when she wasn't on her best behavior, but now looking at her son, she knew that nothing he could ever do would make her love him less. It was at that moment that she knew the truest and purest form of love.