**Chapter Twenty-Two -- Bitter and Blue**
**December 31, 2010 -- New Years Eve -- 0730 Hours**
Tony rested his elbows on the kitchen table and dropped his head into his hands, sighing heavily. He hadn't been sleeping well, getting less sleep every night as Abby approached her due date. She had woken him up a few hours earlier, asking him to go downstairs and get her a glass of warm milk so that she would be able to go back to sleep.
"Of course, sunshine." He had said, climbing out of their bed to get her milk.
She drank the glass of milk and was back asleep almost immediately, leaving Tony staring at the ceiling, alone with his stress and worries about the days to come. He had ended up going downstairs, resigning himself to watching infomercials on the couch, praying for sleep to come.
Unfortunately, it hadn't, and he found himself sitting in the kitchen an hour later, nearly pulling his hair out. He hated having the opportunity to let his mind wander, realizing it always focused on the most negative thoughts he was having.
Giving up on finding sleep anywhere besides in bed beside his girl, he moved toward the stairs when he heard the newspapers slapping down on the porch. He walked over and opened it, bending down to pick the papers up when he saw a brightly wrapped box sitting next to the door. Curious, he picked it up, smiling a little when he saw that it was addressed to himself and Abby.
He carried the box into the living room and set it under the still-standing Christmas tree, intent on waiting for Abby to wake up before opening their belated Christmas gift. Heading back to the stairs again, he sighed heavily before turning back, deciding that if he went upstairs, Abby would wake up, which was the last thing he wanted.
Slumping on the couch again, he turned the TV on and unwrapped one of the newspapers, skimming through it to pass the time.
Folding it back up, he dropped it onto the coffee table, his gaze inadvertently pulled to the single package under the tree. Losing his personal battle of wills, he stood up and grabbed the box before returning back to the couch. He had to admit that his curiosity was getting the best of him, and subconsciously, he convinced himself that Abby wouldn't really mind.
Tony peeled the paper off carefully, noticing for the first time that the return address belonged to McGee's parents in Norfolk. He removed the remainder of the paper from the box and pulled out his pocketknife, cutting the tape quickly before putting it away.
He opened the flaps and pulled out the tissue paper, freezing in place when he saw the baby clothes and diapers stacked neatly in the box. He could feel his hands shaking slightly as he pulled out the outfit that was folded neatly on top of the pile, realizing how small the clothing was.
"Morning, Tony." Britty said, leaning against the archway to the living room. "You're up early."
"Yeah." He said, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Couldn't sleep. Wishin' I hadn't gotten up right about now though."
The redhead chuckled, padding into the living room and sitting next to him on the couch. "Where'd this come from?" She asked, peeking inside the large box.
"McGee's parents, apparently."
"That's sweet of them. These are too cute!" She gushed, pulling the little clothes out one at a time and folding them neatly on the table. "Tim didn't tell you that they were sending it?"
"No." He responded, glancing down at the tiny diapers in the bottom of the box. "I don't...these are too small, aren't they? I mean...these aren't...these aren't going to fit the baby."
She eyed him for a moment, trying to decide if he was kidding or not. "The baby's probably going to be in this size for at least three months."
"But...but...look how tiny they are! I don't...was Jack ever this small? I don't remember him being that tiny!"
"He was six months old when you and Abby met. Jack was a tiny little thing when he was first born." She said, smiling fondly at the memory of the first time she held her little boy.
Swallowing hard, Tony's gaze returned to the clothes, his green eyes darkening. "Britty...I don't...I can't do this!"
She frowned, reaching out to grasp his arm gently when he pulled away, pushing himself to his feet. "I can't...I can't take care of myself half the time! I don't...what the hell am I supposed to do with something *that* small?" He asked, gesturing wildly to the box.
Taking a deep breath, Britty stood and placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing him back onto the couch. "Okay, first of all, you're gonna calm down right now."
He narrowed his eyes at her momentarily before relaxing, his head dropping against the back of the couch. "I...I'm scared."
"I can see that." She replied quietly, sliding the box aside and sitting on the coffee table. "It's okay, you know."
"I should be ready by now. I...I just don't wanna disappoint her."
"I'm not sure that's even possible, Tony." She chuckled, patting his knee. "Besides, you don't think that she's scared?"
He looked at the redhead and rolled his eyes. "She's ready. It's all she's been able to talk about all week."
"You know, for being a master of disguise, you sure don't know how to recognize one." Standing up, she passed him and walked into the kitchen to make coffee.
"You...has she been talking to you?" He asked, pushing himself off the couch to follow her. "What's she been saying?"
"I don't know, the usual."
"Britty, don't use broad strokes with me, please."
"She didn't wanna worry you." She said dismissively, leaning against the counter. "Abby knows how worried you've been, and..."
"She doesn't trust me with it."
"That's not it at all, Tony, and you know it. I'm her midwife. She knows she can come to me..."
"She should be coming to me!" He roared, his eyes starting to water. "And I don't even know what a fucking midwife is! What did I do, that she doesn't think she can come to me? Does she think I'm weak?"
"Actually, that's not it at all." Abby cut in from the stairs, her fingers gripping the banister hard enough to turn her knuckles white.
Glancing up at his girl, Tony swallowed his anger and hurried over to her, his hand resting on her lower back. "Baby, what are you doing up? You should be laying down."
"Kinda difficult with you down here shouting. Pretty sure the Robinsons heard your voice all the way at the end of the block." She responded, allowing the Italian to help her off the stairs. "I...need to sit down."
"Are you okay?"
She nodded, swallowing hard. "I'm fine."
Britty joined the couple in the living room and studied her friend closely. "How long and how far apart?" She asked, ducking back into the kitchen to get a piece of paper and a pen.
"What's going on?" The Italian asked, looking between the two women worriedly.
"Um...maybe 15 to 20 seconds every 15 minutes?" The Goth answered, watching her sister-in-law write it down.
"Will one of you tell me what the hell is going on?" Tony snapped, stepping between the women.
Britty signed something to Abby that the older man didn't understand before she stood up and dragged him into the kitchen.
"What's going on with her, B? Is she okay?"
"Everything's fine. She's having mild contractions, but they're nothing to worry about yet." She explained, hoping that he would relax some.
He took a deep breath and made a feeble attempt at calming himself down before he spoke again. "Okay...um, let me run upstairs and get her bag, then we'll take her to the hospital."
"Tony, stop." She said, putting her hand on his arm. "At this rate, she could be in labor for days before anything happens. She doesn't have to go to the hospital right now."
"She needs to be monitored, doesn't she? I mean..." He reached up and fisted his hands in his hair out of frustration. "Why didn't she take one of those classes? I should know this stuff!"
"Abby knows what's going on, okay? She may seem nervous, but she knows what she wants. Now, as her midwife, I'm telling you that she needs a calm environment. If you can't help provide that for her..."
He eyed her bitterly. "What? You're gonna kick me out?"
"If I have to, I will."
"She won't let you. It's my baby too, I have every right to be there." He said, trying his best to be imposing.
"She'll back me. She knows what I expect, alright? We've discussed all this."
"Without me?" He scoffed, turning toward the window. "Great. Do I even get to see my child after it's born, or do I have to wait at the end of the line?"
"T..." Abby groaned, feeling another contraction starting.
Britty watched as the anger on his face was immediately replaced with fear as he rushed in and sat next to his girl.
"I'm here, baby." He whispered, slipping his hand into hers. "Right here."
**8 Hours Later**
Tony was waiting outside the bathroom door when Abby exited, making her gasp in surprise when she saw him.
"Tony!" She cried, smacking him lightly on the arm. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay. You know, be nearby just in case."
"DiNozzo, come sit down." Bradley called, his voice letting his exhaustion with the younger man show. "You're gonna be busy once you guys go to the hospital and trust me, you're gonna wish you got some rest."
He shook his head. "I just want everything to go smoothly."
Britty chuckled as she walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray of sandwiches. "I can't promise smooth, Tony, but I'll tell you that you're gonna be useless if you don't relax. Now, eat up, boys. You too, Abby. You need your strength."
He couldn't help but glare at the redhead before he led his girl over to the couch, helping her down onto the cushion. "You sure you're okay?" He asked quietly, his hand resting on her shoulder as he squeezed gently.
Pulling away from his touch, Abby glared up at him. "I don't feel like being touched right now." She snapped, her voice sharper than she had intended. "And for the millionth and last time, I'm fine but I can't promise you'll be if you don't stop asking."
He dropped his hand to his side, hurt flashing across his face before he schooled it into a casual look. He offered her a shrug before he turned away from her, taking a deep breath in an effort to keep his temper in check.
"I'm going outside." He muttered, deciding his best bet was to remove himself from the situation immediately.
"Tony..." Abby gasped, reaching for his hand as she felt another painful contraction coming on. "Please!"
For a single, selfish second he debated pulling away from her as she'd done him, but his common sense kicked in and he dropped back to her side immediately, allowing her to squeeze his fingers.
"It's okay, baby..." He soothed gently, reaching up with his free hand to brush her long black hair out of her face.
Closing her eyes, she squeezed his fingers for all she was worth, a low moan escaping her as the contraction grew worse. After what seemed like an eternity, the pain finally passed and she collapsed back against the couch cushions, breathing heavily.
"She should go to a hospital. That was the worst one yet." Tony decided, glaring up his girl's sister-in-law.
"She's still okay. She doesn't want to go to the hospital and lay around all day. If she's gonna have to wait anyway, it's best to do it here where she's comfortable."
"They can make her comfortable in the hospital." He argued.
"She doesn't want to go to the hospital!"
"Why don't you let her speak for herself?" He snapped, pushing himself to his feet.
"I don't want to go to the hospital." Abby managed, glaring up at her boyfriend.
"Abby..."
"No, Tony. I don't want to go to the hospital. Britty's right."
"Why are you letting her make your decisions for you?!" He yelled, giving her a concerned look.
"She's not deciding *anything* for me! We've had all this planned out since I first came down from DC and..."
Tony cut her off. "Why the hell didn't you bother to include me in that discussion?"
"Because you were too busy sittin' in DC drinkin' yourself stupid!" She countered, pushing herself to her feet carefully.
"Enough!" Britty growled, narrowing her eyes at the Italian. "You. Out."
"I...what?" Tony said, shooting her a confused look.
"Get out of here. I don't care where you go, but you stay out of this room. You're upsetting her and that's the last thing she needs right now!" She hissed, helping the Goth back to the couch.
"You're not seriously kicking me out."
"Go."
Tony glared at the headstrong woman before stomping out of the room and slamming the front door behind him.
"B..." Abby started, feeling the tears welling up behind her eyes at the sound of her lover leaving the house. "You didn't have to make him go."
"You need calm, not Tony jumpin' down your throat because he's not gettin' his way."
Bradley watched as his sister sighed, dropping her head against the couch. "I'll go get him, Abs." He said, pushing himself up and resting his hands firmly on his wife's shoulders and whispering in her ear. "You need to relax too. Call me if anything changes."
Stopping off in the kitchen, he grabbed a few beers out of the refrigerator before heading out the front door, knowing that the younger man hadn't gone much further than the front porch.
"She's gonna hate me." Tony said, not looking up when Bradley stepped onto the porch, closing the front door behind him. "I'm really fucking this up, huh?"
"Eh." He shrugged, handing him an open beer. "You know, they *do* know what they're doin', Tony. The only thing they need you to do is hold it together for Abby."
The Italian didn't say anything, opting instead for a long pull from his beer.
Bradley sighed and settled against the bench, staring out at the street. "It's okay to be scared." He frowned when he saw the younger man tense up, having intended to keep the conversation casual. "Hey, don't shut me out, man. I went through this with these two when Jack was born. This isn't the first time I've been banned to the porch."
He looked over at his girl's brother curiously. "They never mentioned that."
"Yeah, well..." The sandy-haired man shrugged, taking a sip from his beer. "It wasn't among their proudest moments."
"Did something go wrong?"
He shook his head. "Nah. Everything went pretty smoothly. They were just inexperienced, that's all. Didn't help that B was a nervous wreck. Your girl's holdin' it together pretty well in comparison. B was cursin' like a sailor at this point."
"Abby? She did this...whatever it's called, she did it for Britty?"
"Yeah. You didn't know she was a midwife?"
Tony shook his head. "Friends for 12 years, havin' a baby together, and there's still so much I don't know about her."
"Have you bothered to ask? I mean, yeah, there's probably a lot of things about Abby that you don't know, but I've never known her to hide anything from anyone. She's proud of who she is, Tony. She's got no regrets. All you've gotta do is ask the questions." Bradley explained, finishing off his beer.
Glancing over at the Italian, he noticed that the man was preparing to ask him something about his sister. "Don't even open your mouth, DiNozzo. You ask her. And *only* her."
He opened his mouth to retort when the front door opened and Britty poked her head outside. "I need both of you in here now. Abby's water just broke, we're goin' to the hospital."
**5 Hours Later -- 2230 Hours**
"You're doin' great, Abs." Tony coached, standing next to her bedside as she worked through her contraction calmly. When it ended, she collapsed against his hand that was resting at the small of her back. "Good job, baby."
"I swear to God, Tony, you 'good job, baby' me one more time, you'll need implants to make you a man." She bit out, allowing Britty to feed her some ice chips.
The redhead offered a sympathetic look to him, shrugging her shoulders. "Abby...don't be like this now, it's almost over, hon."
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one on the bed."
"I've been there, girlie, and you know it."
Abby glared at her best friend, closing her eyes briefly against the pain. "You had painkillers."
The Italian perked up almost immediately. "I can go get your doctor, baby, if you want some meds."
"Don't want 'em." Both of the women said, looking at the older man pointedly.
Britty frowned, taking some semblance of pity on her sister-in-law's boyfriend. "T, could you go refill her ice chips?" She asked, giving him an opportunity to leave the estrogen filled room for a few minutes.
He almost turned her down, wanting to stay next to Abby's side for the duration, when he felt his cell phone ringing in his pocket. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to his girl's forehead and picked up the small bucket, heading out of the room to answer the call.
"Yeah, DiNozzo." He greeted, as soon as he was outside of the room, releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"How's she holdin' up?"
"Ah...Boss." Pausing in the waiting area, he sank down into the chair. "She's...she's doin' okay. Hopefully it won't be too much longer."
"Flights are all booked." The older man said. In the background, Tony could hear a plane starting up. "Gonna get on a priority in 20 minutes."
"Gibbs, you don't..."
"Not up for discussion, DiNozzo."
"Right."
Gibbs paused for a moment before he spoke again. "How you holdin' up, Tony?"
The question surprised the Italian. *I'm fucking falling apart...* He thought before he shook his head. "I'm fine. Just...ready for it to be over too, I guess."
"Good. You take good care of her."
"Will do, boss. I'll let her know you called." He said. Hanging up the phone, he picked up the bucket off the chair next to him and filled it with ice chips before heading back into the room.
"Tony..." Abby sobbed, reaching for him when he reentered the room.
"I'm here, baby. What's goin' on?"
"Hurts." She managed, clinging to his shirt.
He looked across the bed at Britty, concern filling his eyes as he stroked his girl's hair. "Is she okay?"
The redhead hesitated, thankful when Abby's doctor came back into the room. "Ah, good. Welcome back, Tony." He said, smiling when he saw that the brunette was back in the room. "Abby, have you made a decision?"
"Woah, decision about what? What's goin' on?" He demanded, holding the Goth close.
"The baby is breech." Dr. Patton stated, frowning slightly when Abby whimpered quietly. "It's not entirely impossible to deliver naturally, however, we had been hoping that the baby would turn around."
The Italian looked between the redhead and the woman in his arms. "W...what decision does she need to make?"
"Well, she has a couple of choices. Either she can continue to deliver naturally, which will be painful and will probably end in an assisted delivery, or we can do a cesarean section."
"I...uh, I..." He stumbled over his words, distracted by the beeping of the machines and the Goth's quiet cries as she shook in his arms. "Wh...what's best for her? I...I just want them both to be okay."
"Abby wants a natural delivery, regardless." Britty said, her voice wavering slightly as she gripped her friend's hand.
Tony's eyes darkened as he glared across the hospital bed at the redhead, knowing that she was concerned, but determined to uphold Abby's birth plan until the younger woman changed her own mind.
"Abs, baby...you're the strongest woman I know. I've told you that before. It's okay if...if you want this to be over. I don't want you to be hurt." He rubbed her back gently as he spoke, holding her close to his chest.
"Miss Sciuto, I'm going to need a decision so I can get the OR prepared." The doctor said, standing at the foot of the bed.
"Do it. I want the c-section." She said, dropping back against the pillows as another contraction started. "Please."
Dr. Patton nodded and motioned for the nurses to come in and prep her for surgery before leaving the room.
Britty watched as the nurses rushed around the room. "You don't have to do this, Abby. You know as well as I do that you can handle this. You can deliver on your own."
"Britty..." Tony warned, stepping back when the nurses approached his side of the bed and began moving the machines around.
"She can! You're pressuring her into this, Tony! Can't you just listen to her wishes for once?"
"She wants this. You heard the words coming out of her mouth, not mine. If anyone's pressuring her, its you!" He hissed, not wanting to raise his voice. "Maybe you should go, B."
She faltered slightly, her eyes wide as her mind processed what he'd just said. "You're...you're kicking me out?"
"Yeah, it doesn't feel too good, does it?" He asked, glaring at the younger woman. "Go."
"You..."
"Britty, please." Abby cried. "Just...stop arguing!"
Glancing down at her friend, the redhead lifted her eyes, offering the Italian a curt nod. "Fine." Reaching for Abby's hand, she squeezed it gently before she leaned down, kissing her forehead. "You've done so well today, Abs. I'm proud of you. I'll be in the waiting room with BB if you need anything."
Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Tony watched as the irritated woman stalked past him, her shoes clicking loudly against the tile floor before he turned back to his girl.
"Don't go." She begged, gripping his hand tightly. "I'm...I'm scared, Tony."
Leaning down, he kissed her forehead before looking her in the eye, brushing her long hair back. "I'm not goin' anywhere, baby. I'll be right here the whole time."
"We're all ready." Dr. Patton said, motioning for the nurses to move the bed out of the room. "We'll need you to scrub in, Agent DiNozzo, if you want to be in the delivery room."
Tony nodded and squeezed the Goth's hand again. "I'll be right there, okay? I promise." He kissed her again and followed the doctor out of the room to get prepared for the surgery.
Chapter End Notes:
"Bitter & Blue" by Michael Weatherly