**November 5th 0200 Hoursâ€"Tony's Apartment**
Tony released a quiet sigh as he stared at the ceiling in his bedroom. The talk he'd had with Abby after leaving Gibbs' was less than productive, and after a half an hour of hearing her tell him to go back to the older man's house, he left.
He closed his eyes tightly when he heard the familiar sound of a key being turned in the lock on his front door, knowing exactly who it was. Turning onto his side, he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, hoping that his sometimes lover would take the hint and leave him alone.
"I know you're awake," Gibbs said, padding into the room quietly, having deposited his shoes at the front door. "We need to talk, Tony."
"Don't wanna talk."
The older man sighed, sinking down to the edge of the bed. "Then you can listen to me talk." He waited for a moment, hoping that his agent would at least turn and look at him, but Tony didn't budge. "Okay then. I know I probably didn't have the best reaction earlier, butâ€""
"Not the best reaction?" He scoffed, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Jesus, Jethro! You basically accused meâ€""
"I did not accuse you of anything. You're the one who made me believe that we were not exclusive. The way you pranced around the squad room with all those stories. What else was I supposed to think, Tony?"
"There's nobody else but you," was the quiet response as Tony sat up, leaning against the headboard. "It's always been you. I just… I wasn't sure what this whole thing was and I…" he trailed off, dropping his gaze to his hands.
Moving closer to his clearly distraught agent, Gibbs shifted on the bed and nudged him gently. "You don't have to explain anything to me."
"I'm sorry I ran out on you."
"I'm sorry I made ya feel like you had to," Gibbs responded, dropping his arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer.
Savoring the feeling of the almost-embrace, Tony released a quiet sigh, closing his eyes. "So what do we do now?"
"Right now?" Leaning over, Gibbs dropped a gentle kiss to the top of the younger man's hair, breathing in the comforting scent of his shampoo. "Right now, you need to get some sleep."
"And then?"
"And then I guess we need to find you a doctor and get you checked out. But for now, you sleep."
"On it, Boss," Tony responded, barely stifling a yawn. "You gonna stay?"
"You're certainly not gettin' rid of me now," Gibbs smirked, leaning down to peck his lips. Shifting against the mattress, Gibbs pulled Tony against his chest, threading his long fingers through his hair. "Sleep well, DiNozzo."
"I will now that you're here," he mumbled, snuggling closer to his older lover before drifting off to sleep.
**0520 Hours**
Forcing his tired eyes open, Gibbs couldn't help but frown when he felt his younger lover pulling away, climbing out of the bed unsteadily.
"Where you goin'?" He asked, his voice thick with sleep as he rolled onto his back, stretching against the comfortable mattress.
"Bathroom," Tony responded, wrapping an arm around his middle as he practically sprinted out of the bedroom.
Pushing himself up on his elbow, Gibbs swiped a hand over his face to clear the sleep from his eyes. "You okay?"
The only response he received was a quiet groan, quickly followed by the sound of retching. Pushing the covers away from his body, he climbed out of the bed and made his way over to the door, pushing it open slowly. "Tony?" His Italian was crouched down in front of the toilet, his knuckles white from gripping the edge of the bowl as he heaved. Frowning darkly, he crossed the small room in an instant and sank down behind him, resting a large hand against his back. "Hey."
Swallowing hard, Tony swiped at the back of his mouth and sank back on his heels, leaning into his boss' touch. "This really sucks," he managed.
"I know," Gibbs responded, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to the younger man's shoulder. "You think you're okay now?"
"I think so."
"Good. Let's get you back into bed then."
Pushing himself to his feet, Gibbs gripped Tony's arm gently, helping him to his feet. He didn't miss the way he swayed slightly, his arm wrapping around his middle again as he leaned heavily against his boss, trusting him to help keep him upright.
They paused at the sink long enough for Tony to rinse his mouth out before Gibbs led him back to the bedroom, helping him under the covers. Releasing a soft groan, Tony dropped his head to the pillows, his eyes closing almost immediately until his realized that the older man hadn't joined him.
"You're not leavin', are you?"
"Told you last night you aren't gettin' rid of me so easily," Gibbs reminded him. "I'll be right back."
Nodding, he turned onto his side, his hand resting on his upset belly as he tried to find a comfortable position. He heard Gibbs leave the room, and with a quiet sigh, he willed sleep to come. It wasn't long, however, before the older man returned. He felt the bed dip as Gibbs sank down onto the mattress, and a minute later, his boss was nudging him gently.
"What?" He cringed inwardly at the whine in his voice.
"Got somethin' that might help settle your stomach."
Forcing his eyes open again, he looked warily at the plate of toast before he pushed it away. "'M not feelin' so hungry right now," he whimpered.
"I know but if you take a couple bites, it'll help. Trust me."
"And how exactly would you know? Deal with this kinda thing often?" Tony snapped.
"No, but it helped Shannon when she was pregnant."
There was no anger or irritation in Gibbs' voice, but the sadness he heard made Tony immediately regret his harsh tone.
"I'm sorry, Jet," he apologized, pushing himself up as he reached for his sometimes lover's hand. "I didn'tâ€""
"I know," Gibbs responded, clearing his throat before he forced a smile. "Just a couple bites, huh?"
"Okay," Tony conceded with a nod. "But I'm warnin' you… if it makes me throw up again, you're in trouble. Got it?"
Gibbs cocked an eyebrow in response and pushed the plate of toast into his hands again. Releasing a quiet sigh, Tony eyed it moodily before he picked it up, taking a small bite.
Shifting himself on the mattress, Gibbs settled in beside him again, barely stifling a yawn as Tony finished off a piece of the toast.
"Happy?" He asked, his mouth full.
"Ecstatic. Feeling better?"
"A little," the agent responded grudgingly. "But I always feel better after I throw up, so maybe the toast didn't have anything to do with it."
"Whatever you say, DiNozzo," Gibbs laughed, leaning over to drop a kiss to the top of his head. "Need to try to get a little more sleep. You weren't out very long."
"No point now," Tony muttered, stretching his arms over his head with a quiet groan as his back popped loudly. "I need to get up and start gettin' dressed for work."
"Nope."
"Excuse me?"
"I told you we needed to get you in to see a doctor."
"You mean today?"
"Well, yeah," the older man responded with a roll of his eyes. "C'mon. Back to sleep for a bit."
"Jetâ€""
"No arguments, Tony. Rest. We'll get you the earliest appointment available, and then we'll talk about work."
A dark frown crossed Tony's face and for a split second, he debated arguing. However, before he could open his mouth, he could feel Gibbs pulling him back against his chest and all thoughts of a debate ceased.
Releasing a content sigh, Tony turned on his side in an attempt to find a comfortable position, and a moment later, he felt the older man settling in behind him, dropping an arm around his waist as he pulled him closer.
"Get some sleep," he muttered.
Closing his eyes, Tony burrowed deeper under the covers, a slight grin forming on his face as he felt Gibbs slide his hand up to rest against his still flat stomach.
"This okay?"
"Better than okay," Tony assured him as he laced his fingers through his boss' and allowed sleep to claim him once more.
**0900 Hours**
Pushing the bedroom door open, Gibbs stepped inside, a wide grin on his face as he took a long drink of his coffee. His agent was sprawled out on the mattress, the covers kicked from his body as he snored softly. Leaning against the door frame, Gibbs drained the remainder of his coffee before dropping the cup to the dresser and pushing himself off the wall, making his way over to the bed.
"Tony," he called, crossing his arms over his chest. The only response he received was a loud snore as the younger man rolled onto his side, snuggling closer to his pillow. Cocking an eyebrow, he reached out and cuffed him on the back of the head gently, barely suppressing a grin when Tony whimpered and swatted at his hand.
"Go 'way."
"Time to wake up."
"You jus' told me to go back to bed," he complained, rolling onto his back again before he stretched lazily, the bones in his back cracking loudly.
"And now I'm tellin' ya to get up. C'mon. You've got a phone call to make."
Stifling a yawn, Tony rubbed the sleep from his eyes and offered his boss a tired glare before he pushed himself up on his elbows. "What are you still doin' here anyway?"
"Wanted to make sure you actually called the doctor," the older man smirked. "I can't trust you when it comes to health care professionals."
"Not nice, Gibbs."
"When have you ever known me to be 'nice', DiNozzo?" Gibbs snorted. "Feelin' better now?"
"Much. As much as I hate to admit it, I think the toast did the trick."
"I'll refrain from sayin' 'I told you so' this time. Think you're up to eatin'?"
"I could probably eat somethin' light," he decided as he climbed out of the bed, rubbing his eyes again. "I'll grab a poptart or somethin'. Pretty sure I've still got some in the cabinet."
"I'll check. You go ahead and make your call. See if you can get in this morning."
"Glad to see you don't believe in being pushy or anything," Tony responded dryly.
"Hey, when it comes to somethin' like this, you'd better believe it. It's somethin' you're just gonna have to get used to."
"I think I like the sound of that," the Italian grinned dumbly before reaching over, plucking his phone from the stand beside his bed.
Rolling his eyes playfully, Gibbs leaned over and dropped a kiss to the top of Tony's hair before he grabbed his coffee cup off the dresser and backed out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him. Glancing back at the door one last time, he shook his head and made his way into the kitchen, dropping the cup into the sink.
It wasn't long before his agent joined him, his face pale despite his earlier declaration that he was feeling better.
"You okay?" Gibbs asked, dropping the box of poptarts as he hurried over to him, concern written all over his face.
"I'm… Got an appointment for ten forty-five."
"Not what I asked."
Swallowing hard, the younger man nodded, though he allowed Gibbs to help him into a chair at the table. "Just… nervous, I guess. I was…" he paused, swallowing again. "I guess I'd been kind of hoping that this whole thing was a not-so-good dream?"
Releasing a quiet sigh, Gibbs sank down into the chair beside him, reaching tentatively for his hand. "Wish I could tell you not to worry, but I know this is a scary thing."
"Are you going to come with me?" Tony asked hopefully.
"If you want me to."
"I do," he responded with a firm nod. "I didn't… when Abby told me that I needed to tell you, I didn't want to. But I'm… I'm really glad I did."
"I'm glad you did too." Leaning forward, Gibbs pressed a gentle kiss to the younger man's lips before he pulled away. "Why don't you go grab a quick shower, then we'll go get somethin' to eat? A poptart isn't very nutritious, you know."
"Says the man who survives solely on coffee," Tony smirked, but he pushed himself to his feet without protest. "Think I could convince you to join me?"
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't try," Gibbs responded with a broad grin before accepting the younger man's outstretched hand, allowing him to pull him from the kitchen.
**1055 Hoursâ€"Doctor's Office Examination Room**
Slipping back into the room with a dark scowl on his face, Tony handed the pretty young nurse the cup he'd just filled while simultaneously shooting his boss a glare when he snorted quietly.
"Somethin' funny?"
"Not at all," the older man responded, a wide grin on his face as the younger man climbed onto the examination table, offering him a bored look.
Barely stifling a giggle, the nurse marked Tony's cup carefully before she pushed herself to her feet, offering him a smile. "Doctor Andrews should be in with you shortly. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."
"Not likely," the Italian mumbled as he settled onto the table, waiting until the nurse had left them alone before he turned to Gibbs, his scowl darkening. "I hate doctor's offices. Have I told you that lately?"
"I think you've mentioned it a time or two."
"Just makin' sure you know," he grumbled, releasing a sigh as he dropped his head back against the table, his hands resting on his stomach lightly.
Gibbs watched him carefully as he fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt hem for a moment before he reached over, stilling his hand. "Hey. Relax."
"Easier said than done," he responded, though he did offer the older man a nervous smile. "You sure you're okay with… all of this?"
"I already told you I'm not goin' anywhere, Tony. Wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." Squeezing his hand gently, he offered him a slight grin.
"Thanks Jet."
He opened his mouth to respond when a quiet knock sounded on the door. Squeezing Tony's hand once more, he pulled away and sat back in his chair as Doctor Andrews stepped into the room, a bright smile on her face.
"Good morning gentlemen," she greeted brightly, dropping Tony's file onto the counter before she extended her hand. "I'm Doctor Andrews. How are you feeling, Tony?"
"I'm… okay, I guess."
"Yeah? That's good to hear," she responded, offering him a smile. "I'm pretty sure you're already aware of this, but congratulations, you're pregnant."
Gibbs nodded, taking Tony's hand in his and squeezing gently. "What we're more concerned with is making sure the baby is healthy."
"Of course," she grinned. "We can do an ultrasound today if you want, just to see how things are progressing."
Tony looked up at his lover hesitantly, meeting his eyes briefly before nodding. "I… we'd like that."
"Okay then. We're gonna draw some blood first, but then we'll go ahead and do one," she said, patting his leg gently. "You more comfortable laying down or sitting up?"
"He doesn't do needles very well," Gibbs smirked. "Probably better off to leave him layin' down."
"Works for me," Tony mumbled, his grip on Gibbs' hand tightening just slightly.
"Alright. You just relax here for a minute and I'll be right back."
Doctor Andrews stepped out of the room, leaving the two men alone. Once she pulled the door closed behind her, Tony dropped his head back to the table and released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Still hangin' in there?"
"For now. Might be a different story when she comes back with that needle," he groaned, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Don't think I can do this, Jet."
"A little blood work isn't gonna hurt. She looks like she'll be more gentle than Ducky."
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about… everything. I don't... I don't think…" he trailed off, his voice shaking just slightly. "I'm not exactly father of the year material. I don't know the first thing about babies and I just… I don't think I can do it!"
"You really think anybody's ready to become a parent? It's not somethin' you're born knowing how to do. It's somethin' you learn. You were always a fast learner, Tony. You've had some hard shit thrown your way and you've never backed down before. I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't a little disappointed that you're ready to throw in the towel on this one."
"You… really think it's a good idea to go through with this?"
Squeezing the younger man's hand again, Gibbs leaned over and dropped a kiss to his forehead. "I think it's gonna be just fine."
Taking a deep breath, Tony offered his boss a slight nod, forcing a nervous smile for his benefit. "Okay then."
Before Gibbs had a chance to respond, Doctor Andrews stepped back into the room, the pretty young nurse in tow, pushing what Tony guessed was the ultrasound machine."
"Still doin' okay, Tony?" She asked, reaching for his arm.
"I'm fine," he mumbled, though he couldn't help but feel relieved when he felt Gibbs squeeze his hand again. Closing his eyes tightly, he took another deep breath as Doctor Andrews prepared his arm, and a second later, he felt the sting of the needle. It took every bit of his will power to keep from gasping out loud.
"Almost done," she promised. "You're doin' great."
After what felt like an eternity, he could feel her removing the needle and with a loud sigh of relief, he opened his eyes slowly. "All done?"
"Yep," she smiled, labeling the vials of blood carefully before handing them to her nurse. "Go ahead and pull your shirt up for me and then we'll have a look at the little one to see how things are progressing."
Tugging his shirt up slightly to expose his still flat stomach, he swallowed hard, his hands shaking just slightly as he tried to get comfortable on the table.
"This is gonna be a little cold on your belly," she warned, barely suppressing a smile when he hissed, his abdominal muscles tightening briefly as she squirted the gel onto his bare skin.
Placing the small wand on his stomach, she moved it around slowly, watching as the men stared at the screen looking for their child. Clicking a button on the mouse, she pointed to the small screen.
"There we go. Looks like you're just under eight weeks."
Tony squeezed his lover's hand tightly, squinting at the grainy picture. "I can't…. see anything?"
"Right there," Gibbs smirked, pointing their child out to the younger man. "You have no idea how many of these Shannon had me look at."
"That's it?" Tony asked incredulously, frowning as he pushed himself up just slightly to gape at the screen. "That little thing's been makin' me so sick? I was expecting something a little more impressive," he scoffed.
Though he rolled his eyes at his younger lover, Gibbs couldn't help but grin. "It is impressive."
"Yeah… I guess it is, huh?"
Smiling brightly at the two, Doctor Andrews pulled the wand away before wiping his belly clean with a paper towel. "You can go on and sit up now. I'll go print out a couple of these pictures for you guys to take home and then I'll be back in to go over a couple things with you… answer any questions you might have."
Nodding at the doctor, Tony pulled his shirt back down into place as he pushed himself up. He waited patiently for her to leave the room, pulling the ultrasound machine behind her, before he turned to Gibbs. "It was weird seeing that."
"The ultrasound?"
"Yeah. Before… I'd almost convinced myself that it wasn't real, you know? But seeing it… even if I really didn't know what I was looking at it… this is really happening."
"You sure you're okay with this?"
"I didn't think I would be but now… I think I am."
Chapter End Notes:
A/N: Hello hello! Thank you guys so so much for all the reviews I received after the last chapter. I absolutely love and adore you all! Sorry this chapter took so long getting out. As posted in my other story's A/N, I'm getting my ass kicked by real life lately, but I promise you, I'm trying my hardest to get these chapters out as quickly as I can without compromising quality! This chapter is a little bit fluffy and I'm not 100% how I feel about it, but I feel like Tony deserved a little happiness after the last chapter. A huge thank you to my best friend forever Kelley for all her help with this chapter. If you guys aren't reading her stuff, you totally should. You can find the links in my profile! That being said, here's the next chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it! Please don't forget to send me reviews! I love them more than anything in the world! Lol.