Part 9
Gibbs' eyes widened in disbelief at what Kate had just said. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she began crying. She put her head in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably. Gibbs tried to process the words he'd just heard. He looked at Dr. Sullivan for some form of confirmation and when she nodded his head, he knew he'd heard correctly. "I'll give you two some time," she said quietly to Gibbs before she left them alone in her office.
Gibbs sat forward in his chair and faced Kate. His hand was still resting on her back, so he began moving it again in comforting circles. He reached forward with his other hand and pulled her body into his arms. Instinctively, she latched onto him and buried her head in his shoulder where she continued to cry. "Katie," he whispered, as he held her tightly in his arms. "Katie, shhh, don't cry, shhh," he whispered soothingly. "Everything's going to be ok."
He could feel Kate's sobs lessen and eventually they stopped. He pulled back so that he could see her face. "Katie," he whispered, "why the tears?" He reached forward and wiped both cheeks lightly with his thumbs. His eyes searched hers as he waited for her to answer.
"I'm pregnant," she said, looking away. She couldn't meet his gaze because she didn't want to see his disappointment. He hooked a finger under her chin and turned her face to meet his.
"Look at me," he commanded softly. When Kate didn't comply, he said it again, this time with slightly more force. "Kate, look at me."
Begrudgingly, Kate lifted her eyes and looked at Gibbs. He was smiling at her and she was shocked to see the joy dancing in his eyes. He shifted his hand so it cupped the side of her face. "Katie," he whispered, closing the gap between them, "we're going to have a baby." Gibbs was powerless to stop a broad grin from appearing on his face. He leant in and kissed her lightly on the lips and pulled back.
"You're, you're happy about this?" Kate asked softly. Gibbs raised his eye brows at her response and chuckled lightly.
"I couldn't be happier, Kate."
"Really?" she questioned tentatively.
Gibbs reached forward and placed his other hand on her face and brought her lips to his. He put all of his emotions into the kiss, hoping that Kate would understand just how much he wanted her and this baby. Slowly, he broke away from Kate and looked at her in the eye. "Does that make it clearer?" She smiled meekly at Gibbs. "I want this baby, Kate," he whispered.
"Oh, Jethro," Kate said as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She began crying again, but this time, they were tears of happiness. She pulled away and wiped her tears, smiling broadly.
"How far along are you?" Gibbs asked.
"I don't know," Kate said meekly, "I had no idea I was pregnant. I know we haven't talked about kids, but…"
"I want kids, Kate, I really do," Gibbs said truthfully. Kate was about to reply when Dr. Sullivan entered the room again. She smiled when she saw Kate and Gibbs smiling at each other.
"I take it everything is ok?" Dr. Sullivan asked hesitantly. Gibbs and Kate looked at the doctor as she sat down.
"Everything is perfect, Doctor," Gibbs replied.
"Good," she said, smiling. "Now, Kate, you're sister is out in the corridor wondering what's going on." Kate's eyes widened in shock. She'd completely forgotten about Julia and the 'real' reason as to why she was at the doctor's in the first place.
"You didn't say anything, did you?" Kate asked Dr. Sullivan, panicky.
"Doctor/Patient confidentiality, Kate," Dr. Sullivan reminded her.
"Of course, sorry," Kate said apologetically. Gibbs reached for her hands and took them in his. "Oh, Jethro, how am I going to tell Julia?"
"Give me your car keys," he asked softly. Kate wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion; unsure of what he was intending to do. "Do you trust me?" Gibbs questioned. Kate nodded her head slowly. She reached down to her purse and searched for her car keys. She handed them over to Gibbs and watched as he stood up and exited the room.
"Jethro!" Julia exclaimed when she saw him leave the doctor's office. "Is everything ok? The doctor wouldn't tell me anything!"
"Everything's fine," he replied. His face had returned to its usual stone-cold expression. He held Kate's car keys out to Julia and she accepted them. "Take Kate's car back to her apartment. We'll be back later tonight." He didn't even give Julia the chance to respond before he turned on his heel and walked back into the doctor's office.
"What did you do?" Kate asked slyly as Gibbs sat back down next to her and took her hands in his.
"I told her we'd meet her at your place later."
"Anything else?" Kate asked, not quite believing him. He simply winked at her in return and she looked at him suspiciously before turning back to the doctor. "So where do we go from here?" Kate questioned.
"Well, since you don't know how far along you are, I'd like to do an ultra-sound, that way we can get an idea of when you're due and how things are." Kate nodded and Gibbs squeezed her hand. "We can do that now if you'd like," Dr. Sullivan suggested.
Gibbs and Kate looked at each other and nodded. "Right then, Kate, here's a gown you can put on. There is a changing room just through there," Dr. Sullivan continued as she walked over and handed Kate a gown.
"Thank you," Kate said as she accepted it and walked into the small adjacent room.
Once the door was closed behind her, Dr. Sullivan began preparing the examination table and setting up the ultrasound equipment. "So how long have you and Kate been together," Dr. Sullivan asked nonchalantly.
"Not quite a year," he replied.
"So how did you two meet?" The doctor asked, making small talk until Kate returned.
Gibbs chuckled before replying, "I met her on Air Force One." Dr. Sullivan froze.
"Air Force One?" She repeated surprise more than evident on her face.
"Yeah," Gibbs said, sitting back in his chair.
"I know Kate is a federal agent," Dr. Sullivan said, "but I didn't know she'd been on Air Force One."
"She used to be with the Secret Service, but now she's with NCIS."
"Did I hear 'Secret Service'"? Kate asked as she re-entered the room in the hospital gown.
"I didn't know you used to be in the Secret Service, Kate," Dr. Sullivan stated. Kate smiled and looked at Gibbs, wondering what had been said in the time she'd been gone.
"I just told her how we met," Gibbs explained.
"Oh," Kate replied simply, unsure of what to say.
"Now, Kate, let's get you up here on the bed," Dr. Sullivan said, getting back down to business. "Jethro, you can stand here, that way you can see the screen." Gibbs stood up and moved to a spot near Kate's head. Dr. Sullivan pulled a blanket up to Kate's hips and then lifted the gown up to expose her stomach. "Now, I'm just going to squeeze some gel on your stomach, its a little cold, but then we'll get underway."
Kate nodded her head, giving her doctor permission to begin. She squirmed slightly when she felt the gel come into contact with her skin. "Right, here we go," Dr. Sullivan said. "I'm going to have to use a little bit of pressure, ok?"
"That's fine," Kate replied. She tilted her head up and looked at Gibbs. He looked down and smiled adoringly at her. They both turned their attention back to the doctor when she flicked on the ultrasound monitor.
"That's…. that's…" Kate said as she looked at the baby on the monitor. She was so overcome that she couldn't form any words in her mouth. Gibbs leant down and took hold of one of Kate's hands.
Dr. Sullivan chuckled, "yes, Kate, that's your baby right there," she said as she pointed to the middle of the screen.
"Wow," Gibbs replied, squeezing Kate's hand gently.
"Now, let's have a closer look to see how far a long you are." Dr. Sullivan moved the wand about on Kate's stomach and then stopped. "You two definitely take the prize," she said, smiling.
"Prize?" Kate asked, both confused and worried. Dr. Sullivan spun around on her chair and looked at the anxious couple.
"In all my years as an obstetrician, I've never seen a fetus so young." Kate and Gibbs looked at each other, clearly confused at what the doctor was saying. "Your child was conceived roughly two weeks ago."
"Two weeks?" Kate asked. Dr. Sullivan nodded her head, confirming it. Kate turned her head and looked up at Gibbs.
"When we got back," Gibbs stated for the both of them. Kate nodded knowingly and turned back to face her doctor.
"So that would make the baby due in…" Kate began before trailing off and thinking.
"Mid-July," Dr. Sullivan finished for her. Gibbs bent down closer to Kate and placed a light kiss in her hair. "And everything looks well at this early stage," she added. The doctor reached for some tissues and wiped Kate's stomach clean of the gel. "Kate, you can go and get dressed now." Dr. Sullivan helped Kate off the examination table and Kate quickly left the room. Gibbs moved back over to the chair he'd been sitting in previously, overcome with emotions.
"I can't believe she's pregnant," he said quietly.
"You weren't using protection?" Dr. Sullivan asked, surprised.
Gibbs uncharacteristically fumbled slightly, but answered her questioned. "Well, we are, I mean, we did, but I guess ah, I guess it didn't work."
Dr. Sullivan chuckled slightly. "You're not the first couple I've had in here with that reason," she said. "As long as you're both willing to talk about the impact this baby will have on both of you," she continued, "then there is nothing wrong with that."
"I want this baby more than anything," Gibbs admitted his voice barely above a whisper. The doctor smiled at him and fiddled for a moment with the monitor. She walked back to her desk carrying some photos and sat down. She opened Kate's folder and began to make some notes. Gibbs sat back in his chair and tried his hardest not to fidget with his hands. They were silent for a few minutes until Kate came back into the room, adjusting her clothes.
Kate walked over and took her seat again, reaching out for Gibbs' hand as she did so. "Right," Dr. Sullivan began, "you don't need me to tell you that you're in the very early stages of pregnancy, Kate." Kate looked at Gibbs and smiled. "I'd like to see you back in here in a month's time for another ultrasound, is that alright with you?" They both nodded in agreement and Dr. Sullivan continued. "In the mean time, nothing strenuous for the mom-to-be!"
Gibbs smiled. "Not a problem," he spoke for both of them.
"Well, I'll see you in a month," Dr. Sullivan said as she stood up. She removed the photos from the file and handed them to Kate. "Your baby's first photo."
Kate looked down at the black and white print in her hands and smiled broadly. Gibbs put his arm around her and leant in to get a closer look. "That's our baby, Kate," he whispered in her ear. Kate turned her head to face him and tears of happiness glistened in her eyes. Slowly, Gibbs lowered his head and lightly pressed their lips together quickly.
"Please don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions between now and then," Dr. Sullivan offered as they broke apart. "I'll be more than happy to help."
"Thank you," Kate and Gibbs said simultaneously. They walked happily out of the medical centre and made their way to Gibbs vehicle. Kate pulled out of Gibbs' arms and looked up at him sadly.
"Jethro," she said, distress more than evident in her voice, "what do I tell Julia?"
Sorry about the delay in updating... I'll try and get the next chapter done as soon as possible! Please review and tell me what you thought...