Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Gibbs turned onto their street and pulled into the driveway, shifting the car into park before looking over at his girl. He smiled, pushing a loose strand of her long black hair behind her ear before leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to her neck.
"Abby, we're home," he whispered, his fingers running over her arm gently.
She had fallen asleep in the car on their way back from the fertility clinic and if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't very surprised. His Goth had been pretty keyed up over the last few days, despite the medications she had been taking that were making her sick to her stomach.
The first part was over, and she was so relieved that she finally allowed the exhaustion to take over. The egg harvesting process was a little too involved for Gibbs' liking, but he knew how important it was to Abby, so he went along with it.
Shifting slightly in the seat, she offered him a sleepy smile before she reached up, rubbing her eyes. "Hi," she said softly, barely stifling a yawn.
"Feeling okay?"
"'M okay," she assured him, reaching over to unbuckle her seat belt. "You won't be disappointed if I go lay down, will you? I'm so tired."
"Nope. I think I'll come lay with ya for a bit," he offered.
Stifling another yawn, she nodded and climbed out of the car, rubbing her eyes again in an attempt to clear her vision. She hadn't felt good over the course of the last two weeks, the medication she'd been put on to prepare her body for the egg harvest leaving her feeling ill and exhausted.
She made her way up the front steps slowly, smiling when she felt his hand at the small of her back, gently supporting her as they stepped into the house. He continued to lead her straight up the stairs and into their bedroom, sitting her on the bed before pulling an old t-shirt of his out of the dresser drawer.
"Want me to make you something to eat?" He asked, tossing the shirt onto the bed as he helped her undress slowly, running his hands over her tired body.
"I'm okay, J. Thanks." Abby smiled sleepily, letting him pull the t-shirt over her head as he helped her lean back against the fluffy pillows on her side of the bed.
"No problem, baby. I'll be right back. You relax."
He walked into the bathroom and got ready for bed quickly before sliding under the blankets with her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her back against him, kissing the back of her neck gently.
His girl was back asleep within minutes, her small, warm body pressed against his tightly. Smiling to himself, he found that despite the trouble he was having accepting the route that they had chosen, he was truly happy for the first time in the past two years.
Releasing a quiet sigh, he tightened his grip on her, and pressed his nose against her hair, breathing her scent in.
Sighing happily, Abby turned in his arms, resting her head against his chest as she slept.
:::::
Later That Night...
The obnoxious chirping of Abby's cell phone sliced through the silent bedroom. Rolling over with a quiet groan, Abby reached blindly for the device, squinting in the darkness as she flipped it open, pressing it to her ear while stifling a yawn.
"H'lo?"
"Abby?"
"Uh huh," she yawned again, turning onto her back with another groan.
"I uh... It's Hansen... Really sorry to call so late but we're going to need you to come in."
"I can be there in twenty. Whatcha got?"
"We've got some new evidence in the Adams case. We tried to get in touch with Daniels to come in and do the fiber analysis, but he's not answering and Jones wants this processed before we go pick up our suspect tomorrow."
Rubbing her hand over her tired face, she released a quiet sigh. "I'll be there."
"Thanks... And sorry again, Abby."
"No problem. See you in a bit."
Snapping the phone closed, she dropped it back onto the night stand and sighed again before she rolled over, pressing a kiss to her lover's cheek.
"I'm gonna kill Daniels," the older man muttered, his voice heavy with sleep.
She giggled quietly before she pushed herself up, wincing as her back cracked loudly. "It's not his fault. He doesn't know the rules yet."
"He will after I finish with him."
"Be nice," she chided. "I won't be gone long."
"Think I'll come in with you. Got some paperwork I could catch up on."
"You are not coming in to work in the middle of the night to babysit me, J. I'm not gonna be gone long."
He gave her a blank stare which quickly turned to a smirk when her shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Fine. But it's pointless."
They dressed quickly and headed downstairs, both wide awake despite the late hour.
The ride to headquarters didn't take long at all, thanks to the empty streets and Gibbs' driving. While the latter didn't usually bother her, Abby could feel her stomach turning when he finally came to a stop.
Climbing out of the car, she released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, praying that the nausea would subside before she made it to her lab. The last thing she needed was to spend the remainder of the night in the bathroom losing the little bit of dinner she'd managed to get down.
"You okay?" Gibbs asked as he climbed from the car, frowning at how pale his girl was.
"Just a little nauseous. The doctor said it would take a couple days for the effects from the medication to wear off. I'm okay," she assured him, forcing a smile for his sake.
He eyed her warily before he nodded and rounded the car, reaching for her hand. "You sure you feel like doing this tonight? You know I have no problem telling Jones that he's gonna have to wait til morning."
"I'm fine. And you know you can't do that. It won't take me long at all and then we can go home and get some more sleep."
They headed into the nearly empty building, taking the elevator to her lab first. With a peck to her cheek and a reminder to call when she was done, he pressed the button for the third floor.
When the elevator doors opened, Gibbs stepped off and walked toward his desk, stopping halfway when he noticed Tony, his head pillowed on his desk, drooling slightly.
"DiNozzo," he barked, shaking his head when the younger man didn't move. Reaching over the desk, he smacked him on the back of the head, nearly laughing out loud when he jumped to his feet.
"Petty Officer Lambert was dishonorably discharged 6 months ago, Boss."
"Yeah, you said that yesterday, DiNozzo."
Tony's brow furrowed as he sat back down in his desk chair, rubbing a hand over his tired face. "Sorry, Boss."
"What are you doing here, Tony?" Gibbs asked, sitting at his desk. "Its 0230."
"Ah, you know me, I always work better at night."
Gibbs nodded. Something was going on with his Senior Agent, and he could only assume that it was something to do with his partner. Things had been tense between the two of them since Tony had agreed to be a surrogate for Abby.
He watched the younger man attempt to stifle a yawn, his eyes drooping heavily as he leaned forward at his desk, cradling his head in his hands.
"Go home, DiNozzo. Get some rest."
"I'm fine," he insisted, sitting upright in his chair. "Just wanted to go over a few things for my report before tomorrow."
"Tony."
"Almost finished," he muttered, ignoring the warning in his boss' voice.
"Tony!" Gibbs growled, narrowing his eyes.
"I can't sleep at home!" The Italian blurted, his face reddening almost immediately. "I uh... I mean this medication they've put me on keeps me wired all night long, you know. Can't sleep anyway so I figured I'd come in and get some work done."
"That's funny. All Abby wants to do is sleep since they put her on it."
"Uh... Different reactions, I guess," he said with a shrug, shifting uncomfortably under his boss' intense gaze.
"McGee know you've been coming here in the middle of the night?"
"No," he mumbled miserably. "Don't think he'd care even if he did."
"Tony... You told us that he was okay with this."
"You know, on second thought, you're right. I should probably head home and get some sleep. I'll have my report on your desk by 0930, boss."
He watched as his agent grabbed the black bag behind his desk and hurried to the elevator. Shaking his head, he turned back to his corner.
He'd had a feeling that the Italian hadn't been completely honest with them when he assured them that McGee was on board with the idea of Tony carrying a baby for Abby.
They hadn't been outright nasty to one another. In fact, now that he thought about it, they'd been just a little too polite for his liking, though he figured it was something that would pass.
Apparently not, he decided with an irritated snort. Regardless, their fight was not his. As long as they didn't allow it to interfere with their work, he wasn't going to get involved.
For now, anyway.
::::::
Four Days Later...
"McGee!" Gibbs barked in the otherwise quiet squad room, holding out a stack of papers. "Take these down to Abby."
Standing up from his desk, the young man hurried over, plucking the files from his boss' hand.
"Tell her I need the analysis done before she takes off this afternoon."
"Got it," he said with a nod as he headed for the elevator, studiously avoiding glancing over at his partner's desk.
Things had been tense between the two of them for nearly three weeks. He'd made a few half hearted attempts to smooth things over with the stunnorn man, mostly for their son's sake, but it hadn't done much good. The hurt of knowing that Tony was more than willing to go through the trouble of another pregnancy for Abby but not for him hadn't yet faded and until it did, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to work things out.
Pressing the button to Abby's lab with a quiet sigh, he leaned back against the cool metal wall, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ward off the headache he felt coming on.
Stepping off the elevator, he made his way into the lab, frowning when he didn't see the Goth. "Abby?"
Stepping further into the room, his frown darkened when he heard the distinct sound of retching coming from the small bathroom off of the lab.
"Abby?" He called again, making his way over to the door before he knocked quietly. "Abby, you okay?"
"I'm... Fine," she managed weakly. "I'll be out in a minute."
Wallking back over to the metal table, he dropped the papers onto it and waited, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't have to wait long before she stepped out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.
"Are you okay?"
"Ugh. That damn medicine they had me on has made me so sick," she sighed. "They said it should start wearing off though. Has Tony had any weird side effects from his?"
Dropping his gaze, he offered a shrug. He hadn't paid enough attention to his lover to notice. The thought made his stomach squirm uncomfortably. Had Tony been sick and he'd been too wrapped up in his own hurt feelings to care?
"Timmy?"
"I don't... I don't know if he's been sick or anything. We haven't... Exactly been talking."
"You weren't okay with this," she noted. "You didn't want Tony to do it."
"It's not like that," he defended.
Abby placed her hand on his cheek, making him look at her. "You know, this means the world to me, Timmy. He...he didn't decide to do this to spite you, he's doing it as a favor to me."
"I know." He said miserably, pulling away from her and stepping to the other side of the table. "It's...just hard getting used to."
She watched as he paced slowly, obviously caught in an internal debate with himself. "You should cut him some slack. He loves you, Tim." She paused, noticing how the brunette stopped and rested his hands on the workbench. "Did you know he's been coming in at night to work?"
He looked up, frowning at her. "He has?"
"Every night. Told J that he can't sleep at home."
"Dammit. I told that stubborn ass that he could take the bed!"
"You've been making him sleep on the couch?!"
"No!" He hesitated. "Yes, but it was only supposed to be one night!"
"Oh Timmy," she said.
"Well! I was mad at him! I've practically begged him to come back to bed but you know how he is. That just makes him more determined to stay on the couch!"
Rounding the table, she wrapped him in a hug, resting her head against his shoulder. "I never meant to make things difficult for you two. You know that. And if I had any other options, I never would have asked Tony to do this."
Releasing a quiet sigh, he wrapped his arms around her thin waist, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "It'll all work out," he said. "You know I love that idiot too much to just walk away."
"I know," she said, pulling away slightly. "But just do me a favor and make sure *he* knows."
He swallowed hard and nodded.
"Good," she smiled. "Now that that's all settled, what did you need?"
"Huh? Oh! Gibbs wanted me to bring these papers down and to remind you that you have to have the blood analysis finished before you take off this afternoon... What um... What time are you guys leaving?"
"Not until two. She said it shouldn't take more than an hour and a half."
He nodded, frowning slightly. "Okay... Well... I guess I should get back upstairs. Uh... Good luck with all that today. I hope it all works out."
"Yeah," she said quietly as she watched him walk out. "I hope it does too."
:::::
Later that Evening...
"Are you okay?" Abby asked as she reached across the center console, grabbing her friend's hand.
Tony hadn't said much of anything since they'd left the clinic, and though he'd assured her before the procedure that he wanted to go ahead with it, she couldn't help but worry that he'd changed his mind.
"I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile as he leaned his head back against the seat. "Just tired, I guess."
"You feeling okay, though?"
Truthfully, the procedure had left him feeling a little uncomfortable. Not to mention he'd been feeling nauseous for the majority of the day. He'd blamed it on the medication he'd been forced to take to prepare his body for the implantation, though he knew it had more to do with nerves than anything.
While he couldn't bring himself to regret doing this for his friend, he wasn't exactly sure he'd gone about it the right way. At least not when it came to McGee.
The younger man was a huge part of his life and to make such a commitment without even discussing it with him first had been stupid. Especially after being so adamant about not having more children.
"Everything's going to work out, you know," she said after a moment, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb reassuringly. "With Timmy, I mean."
"What are you talking about? Everything's fine with me and McGee."
She looked over, offering him a bored stare. "I find myself having this conversation with you far too often for my liking, Tony. You can't lie to me, so why even try?"
He didn't respond, choosing instead to turn and stare out the window.
"Uh huh," she said. "That's what I thought."
"I think I really might have fucked up, Abby."
"You didn't really talk about it with him, did you?"
"I wanted to. But as soon as I brought it up, he flew off the handle and I just... I don't know."
"You turned into a stubborn jackass and did it anyway."
"Well, I don't know if 'jackass' is really the right term, but yeah. Pretty much."
The pair fell silent as Abby pulled up in front of his apartment building.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he reached down to unbuckle his seat belt, pausing when she grabbed his hand again.
"It's all going to work out," she said again. "But you can't push him away if he comes to you."
"I know."
Leaning over, she pecked his cheek gently before she reached up, wiping away the lipstick smudge. "Get some rest, Tonyboy. Preferably in a bed. You're cranky when you get banished to the couch."
He snorted and shook his head. "Maybe I'll just get a new couch," he muttered. "Have a good night, Abs."
"You too, sweetie. And Tony?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you. For everything," she said, giving him a smile.
He offered her a genuine smile before he climbed from the car. "Anything for you, Abby. You know that."
He closed the door and watched as she pulled away before he let the smile fall from his face. Turning back to the building, he released a heavy sigh and headed inside.
The elevator to his floor wasn't long, though by the time he reached his front door, he was even more uncomfortable than he'd been in the car.
Slipping his key into the lock, he opened the door and stepped inside, biting back a groan when his hyper two year old launched himself at him.
"Daddy!" Josh squealed, wrapping his arms around Tony's legs.
"Hey buddy," he greeted, kneeling down to press a kiss to the boy's shaggy brown hair. "Were you a good boy for Nana today?"
"Isn't he always?" McGee asked as he stepped into the hallway, a tentative smile on his face. "How uh... How did it go?"
"Okay, I guess," Tony muttered with a shrug as he pushed himself to his feet with a groan.
"You feeling okay?"
"I'm gonna go lay down."
McGee nodded and bent down, lifting their son into his arms. "Go lay in the bedroom... Please. You know if you try to rest on the couch he's gonna be jumping all over you."
"Yeah okay," Tony mumbled as he slipped past his boys, pausing when he felt McGee grab his hand.
"I uh... Thought we could order pizza tonight," he offered. "Maybe hang out and watch a movie... If you're feeling up to it."
Leaning over, he pecked his lover on the cheek and offered him a half smile. "That sounds good. Call me whenever you're ready to eat."
"Okay," McGee agreed with a nod, his own smile widening.
Heading down the hallway, Tony pushed the bedroom door open, peeling off his shirt and kicking off his pants immediately. Slipping into his favorite sweat pants, he walked over to the bed and sank down on the mattress with a grateful moan.
McGee walked into the bedroom a few minutes later and stood in the doorway, watching as his lover struggled to get comfortable. Walking over to the bed, he climbed on behind the older man, moving close to him and relaxing quietly, not wanting to disturb him.
"Hey," Tony said, not turning to face him but scooting back, relaxing against his lover's chest.
"Hey," McGee smiled, wrapping his arm over his waist and pressing a kiss to the back of his neck. "I...I'm sorry."
The Italian was silent for a moment, and just when McGee was about to repeat himself, the older man turned over and kissed him gently.
"Me too. You know, I didn't realize you actually wanted another kid. Thought you were just saying it to aggravate me."
"I was at first," the younger man said quietly. "But the more I thought about it..."
"I didn't mean to hurt you. You know that, right?"
"I know."
"I was thinking..." Tony said quietly, a slight smile tugging at his mouth. "Maybe after all this is over, we can talk about having another... For us."
"Really?" McGee asked, grinning broadly.
"We'll *talk* about it," he repeated. "I'm not making any promises though."
McGee pressed a kiss to Tony's lips and reached up, running his fingers through his hair.
"That's good enough for me."
"You're easy to please," Tony teased, closing his eyes against the feeling of his lover's fingers scratching his scalp.
"And you're exhausted," McGee noted. "I'd better let you get some rest."
"Mm..." Tony responded, already drifting off.
"Love you, T."
"Love you too, Timmy."
Grinning to himself as he climbed off the bed, McGee made his way to the doorway, pausing to glance back at his tired lover.
Things had been strained over the last three weeks but somehow, he knew that things were going to be okay after all.
Chapter End Notes:
A/N: Have I mentioned how much I hate "in between" chapters? No? Okay, I really hate "in between" chapters and this is exactly what this is. The last one, hopefully, before we can get to the good stuff (i.e. torturing Tony. Teehee). I really dislike this chapter, but again, it was one that was necessary to get to the good stuff. A huge thank you to my girl Kelley for helping me out with this! It wouldn't have been finished had it not been for her! Also, thank you to everyone who took two seconds to review! Remember: Tony loves reviews more than soft sweat pants and a comfy mattress.