A/N: This story was originally a response to a prompt at the kink meme in lj(though this has nothing kinky in it) but somehow it snowballed and this is a first part of a series I'm working on. This part is gen, but considering that the next story will be slash, you should probably read this as pre-slash :)
McGee was sitting by his desk at the bullpen trying to find something on the cold case he was reviewing that would get them out of the damn office. Gibbs was sitting at his own desk having very similar thoughts of his own as he watched his agent working at his desks. Caitlin Todd his senior field agent was at home recovering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder and the team had been taken off rotation until Gibbs either picked the fourth member for his team or Kate would get back to work.
It had been a week since the incident that resulted in Kate being shot and McGee was really getting sick of desk work. It was a well known fact that McGee was an expert on computers and liked to work on them, but usually he got to balance it with some fieldwork, but sitting behind a desk first at work and then at home trying to get the sequel of his book Deep Six, finished... Lets just say that he would be thankful to get something else to think about for a while.
The silence of the two agents working was broken when McGee's cell rang.
"Special Agent McGee, speaking"
"Timmy" The distress clearly audible in the woman's voice had him immediately on alert
"Antonia! I haven't heard from you in a months, what's wrong?"
"Timmy, I really didn't know what to do I- I need to talk to you"
"Antonia, I'm at work. Can't this wait for a better time-"
"I'm pregnant Timmy" The woman blurted out, and her next words froze McGee for a few minutes. "And it's yours"
Tim stared at a distant spot for a while, not hearing anything around him. Antonia was pregnant, with his baby, how could that be possible? Tim had always been careful and they'd used protection.
"Are you sure it's mine?" McGee cursed himself immediately as he heard those words leave his mouth and waited for the inevitable explosion.
"Timothy McGee! I wouldn't have called you if I wasn't sure. The doctor said I'm seven weeks along and I wasn't with anyone but you at that time!"
" Look Antonia, this really isn't the best time. Come to my apartment this evening and we'll sort this out"
"Okay Timmy, I'll see you tonight, bye"
McGee sat for a while, just staring at the phone in his hand and was only brought back to the here and now when he heard his Boss bark at him.
"Hey McGee! You with me?"
"Huh? Boss" Tim blinked and focused on his Boss' slightly irritated but mostly concerned face
"I asked you are you're okay? What was the call about?"
"I think I'm gonna be a dad" The look of wonder on McGee's face stayed put for a long time after Gibbs shook his head and went back to work.
When McGee arrived at his apartment after work, he was more nervous than he remembered ever being. He took a short shower and decided to fix something to eat, he didn't know exactly at what time Antonia would show up, so he decided to make enough dinner so that if she was hungry, there'd be enough to share.
He had just put the finishing touches on the dinner when the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of his ex. He wiped his hand on a kitchen towel and went to open the door. He stood frozen at the sight of his ex-girlfriend for a few minutes, just drinking in the sight of her. Antonia Rossi, Dinozzo by maiden name, was looking as good as ever, her dark hair was flowing freely over her shoulders and her olive complexion was even more radiant than he remembered.
"Hi Tim" She said shyly and McGee blinked before smiling at the nervous looking girl.
"Antonia, come in" Tim led his guest to the living room "Are you hungry? I made some pasta"
"Yeah, I could eat, thanks" Tim nodded for Antonia to sit on the couch as he went to get them both plates of the food. They ate in silence, which was neither uncomfortable nor easy, they were both so lost in thought that neither paid attention to that kind of detail. Once finished with the dinner, McGee took the dished back to the kitchen and afterwards came to sit besides the other person. They were both fidgeting slightly and neither knew where to start. McGee spoke first after an long silence.
"So, I'm going to be a daddy?"
Antonia smiled at her ex-boyfriends lack of tack but decided to not comment on it, after all now that the conversation had been started however clumsily, it would be so much easier for her to continue it.
"Yeah, if you want to" McGee nodded his head and thought about his next words.
"So you're planning on keeping it?" He wanted confirmation on that before he could make any decision.
Antonia sighed, this was it, she thought, the moment she had been fearing. "No Tim. I'm not keeping it"
Timothy's eyes snapped to her face and she gasped at the piercing gaze "So what you just came here to tell me that you're planning on abortion after you told me that I'd be a dad. Is this your idea of a sick joke?" The words were full of disbelief with underlying anger and Antonia hastened to explain.
"NO! Tim, listen to me." She took a deep breath before continuing, ignoring the gaze leveled at her. "You probably know that I got married a week ago" Tim nodded his head in confirmation and Antonia continued "Marco understands that I have a past and he doesn't hold this against me, he even will allow me to give birth to the child, but that's as far as he will go." She turned tear filled eyes on the man sitting next to him "Marco wants children, but he can't raise one that isn't really his so I was going to give the baby away, but then I thought of you and I knew you had a right to know and if you want, You can raise the baby." McGee's eyes widened and he shook his head
"But I can't I don't know anything about children, I'd suck at it!"
"Timmy" Antonia laid a hand on the almost panicking man's shoulder and looked him in the eye and drew his hand to rest on her stomach that had only the slightest of bumps. "This is your son or daughter, I love Marco and I can't leave him for this little one, but you're his or her daddy and I know you'd be great at it if you so choose." Antonia stood up and took her jacket that she'd laid on the back of the couch upon her arrival and stood in front of the man she thought that she once loved but in reality it was only his status as a wealthy author that drew her to him.
"I know this is much to take in, but please think about it. You have my number so just call me when you reach a decision." She headed for the door, but before she could so much as open it, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Toni" She smiled at the nickname that slipped from his lips. "I don't need to think about it" her heart sank at the whispered words and she bit her lip to stop the tears from sliding from her eyes as she was turned to face the man whose heart she had broken by choosing another. McGee wiped away the tear she couldn't stop from slipping away and smiled gently at her.
"No matter what happens, he or she will always have a home with me." McGee caressed her stomach and let out a broken laugh that sounded a lot like a sob as she launched herself at him and pulled Tim into a fierce hug.
"Thank you Timothy, you'll make an excellent father" she whispered in his ear and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll try my best, for you Antonia. I'll try"
The weeks following Antonia's visit were busy ones for McGee, he felt that taking the baby and raising him or her was the right thing to do and after he got used to the idea that he was going to be a daddy, he was pretty darn excited, scared shitless yeah, but excited as well. Once he explained everything to Gibbs, his Boss had smiled and congratulated him and surprised Tim by helping him find a house, for the small apartment was way too small to raise a baby.
Ducky and Kate also offered him congratulations and their help in anything Tim might need, after all if everything went as Antonia had described, Tim would be a single parent and with the job, it could get pretty hard at times.
No one was as excited by the news however as Abby, when Tim went into the lab and told the goth scientist the news, she launched herself at him so hard, that they both ended up on the floor and probably the whole building heard her squeal of happiness. "Timmy, I'm gonna be an auntie? That's so great, I get to spoil the little kid rotten!" Tim smiled at her friends enthusiasm. He had been a bit worried because they had a past of being friends with benefits and he really didn't want her to think that he was trying to get her to play mom to his baby, but everything worked out well on that front.
When McGee found a house for himself, the whole team was there to help him move his stuff, and Abby took great delight in helping Tim set up a nursery for the coming baby. The house was big with enough rooms so that McGee could have himself a study, where he could work on his writing, the baby would have o room of it's own and there was still enough room for a guest room. The house also had a big yard, with a swing set, but what had made Tim settle on this particular house was the fact that it was close to the NCIS and to Gibbs' house.
Gibbs and McGee had grown closer after the news that McGee would be having a baby and Tim was glad to have the older man's support. Granted his own parents had been ecstatic when he told them and promised to help in any way they could, but they lived pretty far away and it was nice to know that Gibbs was ready to offer support if and when it was needed.
After McGee had settled into his new house he got a call from Antonia, telling him that there was some problems with her pregnancy, but assured him that it wasn't anything too serious, just something the doctors wanted to keep an eye on. Tim worried about it and after some persuasion managed to get Antonia to agree that he could accompany her to the next doctor's appointment.
Antonia was on her second trimester when she and McGee stepped into the doctors office for an ultrasound and a check up. McGee had been worried, because Antonia had been feeling very ill for a few weeks at that point and knowing that the pregnancy wasn't going as smoothly as possible, was really stressing him. They went in side when the female doctor called Antonia's name.
"Hello Mrs. Rossi, it's good to see you again. And you must be the father, hello, my name is Angela Richards." She shook first Antonia's hand and the Tim's.
"Yeah, I'm the father, Timothy McGee."
"Well have a seat Antonia, How have you been feeling?" The pregnant woman sat at the edge of the examination bed.
"I've been feeling really sick for a few weeks now and I'm really worried that I'm not gaining weight enough"
"Well that is normal in your case, as I last time explained to you that there were some minor issues with your blood work and we need to keep a close eye on the baby, but lets take a look shall we? That way I can have a better idea if there is anything wrong"
The doctor helped Antonia lay down on the bed and brought the ultrasound machine closer. McGee, not sure what to do, went to stand next to his ex's head and took a hold of her hand.
"Now this might feel a bit cold" The doctor said as she squirted some gel on the now exposed baby bump. She fiddled with the machine for a little while and soon all occupants of the room could hear the steady beating of the baby's heart.
"Everything looks to be fine. Your baby is a little small at this point, but that isn't unusual and the growth will pick up soon."
McGee was feeling a bit choked with emotions as the doctor showed the picture of their baby moving in side the belly of the woman he once loved. He cleared his throat and blinked rapidly to rid himself of the tears that sprang into his eyes as it became a reality that he really would be a daddy.
"C-can we know the sex?"
"I'm sorry, but I really can't tell right now, the position of the baby effectively blocks any view. Would you like a picture to take with you" McGee nodded his agreement and watched as Antonia nodded her head also.
"Could we have a few please?" She asked in a small voice.
"Certainly" The doctor handed them each three printed pictures and left them alone so they could get their emotions under control and Antonia could get cleaned up.
After a while the lady doctor came back and they all sat by her desk.
"Well everything seems fine at the moment, but I still need to take a blood sample from you so that we can see if there has been any change." At Antonia's nod, the doctor gathered the supplies and made quick work of taking the needed samples.
"Okay, so if you'd get a new appointment from my secretary then we'll see again at that time, I'll call you with the results of the blood tests on Monday." McGee and Antonia shook her hand and said their goodbyes as they went to book the next appointment and left the hospital.
"Do you need a ride home?" McGee asked the woman walking next to her and she shook her head
"Thanks but Marco will be here shortly to pick me up. We're going to go and visit his parents at their villa" Tim nodded his head, disappointed that there wouldn't be a chance to talk to her more at the moment but after a short hug, the two parted ways. McGee headed for the office with a grin on his face, he couldn't wait to show the ultrasound picture to Abby and Gibbs, he could already picture their reactions in his head.
The next few weeks flew by, McGee finished his second book and sent it to his publisher and he spent a lot of his free time with Antonia. He was concerned that Antonia wasn't feeling better, but she brushed off his concern and instead directed his attention to the baby still in her belly. He loved the feel of the baby kicking against his hand and he sometimes pressed his ear against her belly and swore he could feel the baby's heartbeat.
Yeah, it was a happy time for Timothy. On the 28th week of the pregnancy, McGee was at work when his desk phone rang and he got a call he had hoping wouldn't come. He spoke briefly with the caller and stared at it for a while after hanging up. Gibbs noticed this and approached the man slowly. He laid a hand on his agents shoulder,
"McGee? Are you alright?" At this point Kate had also noticed that something wasn't right and made her way to the two men.
Tim seemed to snap out of the trance and hurriedly picked up his jacket and other stuff.
"I need to get to the hospital, Antonia's having the baby and there's something wrong"
Gibbs took a hold of his arm as he tried to push past the older man "McGee, You're in no condition to drive, I'll give you a lift. Kate hold down the fort for us" Kate nodded her head and watched the two men leave. She sent a silent prayer heavenwards that everything would be okay.
McGee raced into the hospital with Gibbs right behind him, he turned straight for the maternity ward and asked the nurse there where he could find Antonia. The nurse pointed them to a waiting room and said that she would call the doctor to come speak with them
Tim sank heavily to one of the chairs and in tense silence they waited. Ten minutes later the female doctor for last time came to McGee and with a tired smile regarded the other man.
"Antonia was brought here after she collapsed at home, the incident started the labor and we delivered the baby boy, I'm sorry Mr. McGee, but there really isn't much hope for either of them." A sob tore from McGee and Gibbs turned to pull the other man into an warm embrace. "Antonia is bleeding a lot and we can't stop the bleeding, The baby's chances are slim, but there is a small chance that he will survive"
"W-where are they? Can I see them?" The doctor smiled slightly and ignored the tears in her own eyes.
"Of course, Follow me please" The two men followed her into the room where Antonia was resting on the bed with her eyes closed, but she opened them as McGee went to her.
"Timmy"
"Shh, Toni, it'll be okay" McGee saw the blood that was staining the sheets but focused on her face.
"Don't Tim, I know I won't make it, there's too much bleeding and they can't stop it, but promise me that you'll take care of my baby, promise me Tim" McGee placed a kiss on Antonia's forehead
"I promise I'll take care of little Anthony"
Antonia smiled at the man next to her and with a broken voice whispered her final words before her eyes closed for the last time. "Thank you"
McGee blinked back tears as her hand went lax in his and he saw Marco Rossi make his way to his wife's body. Tim silently made his way to his Boss who had been standing in the doorway offering silent support to his agent.
"I'm sorry for your loss. C'mon lets go find your baby boy"
They made their way to the baby's ICU and found the small baby, whose name tag said baby Rossi-McGee. McGee felt awe sweep over him as he looked at the tiny baby in the plastic chamber and he looked at his Boss with tears streaming down his cheeks "Isn't he perfect Boss?" "Yeah McGee, he is"
They watched the baby for a while in silence before the doctor joined them "The next week will be critical, his lungs aren't fully developed and he's having trouble breathing, at this point it isn't looking too good for this little fella, but if he's anything like his mother, then he's a fighter. Have you had a chance to think of the name yet?"
"His name is Anthony Michael McGee-Dinozzo, Named after his mother and my father" The doctor gave a nod and went to change the name tag so that it now had the right name in it.
"Would you like to hold him?" The lady doctor asked the new father
McGee frowned and with a hesitant voice asked "Can I?"
"Sure, there are holes in the side of the chamber that you can fit your hands though, You won't hurt him"
McGee glanced at his Boss and after an encouraging nod, he took a step towards the baby, one of the nurses helped him disinfect his hands and he had to put on some protection gear, but soon his hands were touching his baby boy.
"Hi Anthony, I'm your daddy" McGee tried to blink to clear his eyes as tears were again streaming down his cheeks but finally he just ignored them and let them fall. "I need you to fight little one, for me. I know you'd like to go and be with your mommy, but she wouldn't want you to follow her to soon, and I need you to fight little guy."
Not one eye in the room stayed dry as everyone heard McGee's words, even Gibbs had to wipe a hand hastily over his eyes to keep anyone seeing the tears that threatened to fall.
The moment was interrupted when there was a crash and a furious Marco Rossi entered the room
"You little bastard! You deserve to die and burn in hell! Because that peace of shit, my wife is dead! I'll kill you myself if I have to"
Marco lunged at the baby, but before he could so much as touch the plastic chamber, McGee's fist connected with his face. Marco crumbled to the floor with blood streaming from his broken nose.
"Don't you dare threaten my son! I will protect him with my own life if I have to, but you're not getting near him!"
Gibbs grabbed Marco and threw him out of the door and into the corridor, where the security was already coming to get the man.
McGee turned to his Boss "Boss, I think I'll need some time off, I won't leave him alone, I want to be here in case- if he-" McGee couldn't finish the sentence and Gibbs understood him all too well, he placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.
"You take as much time as you need, and if you need anything else, just give me a call. Okay?"
McGee nodded his thanks and made his way back to his baby, still fighting for his survival. "You just hang in there little buddy, dad's here and I'm not leaving you"
The week following his son's birth was long and hard. McGee stayed by his son the whole time and left only to get a few hours of sleep or eat. The team had all visited and his parents had came all the way from home to give them their support. McGee sat and watched his beautiful baby boy, He had counted the toes and fingers to be sure that there was ten of each, he had smoothed the dark black hair on the baby's head and almost cried every time he saw the green eyes that were so like Antonia's.
Abby and Kate had came to visit a day after the birth and brought a bunch of balloons, ranging form blue ones with skulls on them to light green that stated 'congratulations it's a boy!'. The women had cooed over the tiny baby and both had tears in their eyes when McGee explained to them that there was no guarantees that the boy would make it. As they were leaving, Abby pulled Tim into a tight hug and whispered in his ear, "He's gonna be okay, right?" McGee didn't have the heart to say anything other than a quiet "I really hope so."
Later that day, McGee had stepped outside to get some fresh air and something to eat and when he'd come back, there had been doctors and nurses surrounding the baby. His heart stopped as he watched them work on the tiny boy, who wasn't breathing, and he almost collapsed of relief when the baby started breathing again And the doctor's got Anthony settled again with a nasal cannula supplying him with extra oxygen.
After that McGee never left the baby alone, but always timed his breaks so that there was someone with his baby, more often than not the someone was either Abby, Kate, Ducky or Gibbs. His parent visited the baby every day and they stayed at McGee's house so that they could be close to their son and grandson. Ducky had also visited the day after the baby's birth and McGee had never been so happy of the older man's support. All the medical mambo jumbo was making his head spin and he was terrified that he's lose his son, but Ducky patiently explained everything to him and was a constant source of reassurance.
Gibbs had also been wonderful, McGee would have never thought that the man, who had the reputation as a grade A bastard, would be so helpful and caring. Gibbs was also really good and gentle with the little baby and once when McGee returned from a food run, he could have sworn that he heard Gibbs singing to the tiny baby, and it warmed his heart.
Little over a week after the scare with the baby, McGee was sitting beside his baby and Gibbs was there with him, when the doctor came to talk to him.
"Tim, I have some good news, little Anthony's lungs have developed really well and I think it's safe for you to hold him properly if you want to" The smile on McGee's face lightened the room.
"So he's getting better?"
"He's getting better yes, but I must stress that he isn't completely out of the woods yet, but I think a proper human contact will be good for him"
After some preparation, McGee was sitting in a rocking chair and a nurse carefully lifted the little baby to his arms, careful of the still present nasal cannula. McGee felt overwhelmed as the baby was placed in his arms for the first time and he blinked his eyes to stop the tears form escaping. He smiled up at his Boss, who was watching him proudly.
"Hi little buddy" McGee greeted the baby and took a hold of his tiny hand and probably for the hundredth time, counted the tiny fingers. The nurse watched the process and smiled at the happy father "I'll give you ten minutes, but then we'll have to let the baby rest so he won't be overtaxed"
McGee nodded his head in understanding, but didn't take his eyes of the little miracle in his hands. As his Boss laid his hand on his shoulder from behind and with one hand gently traced the baby's fingers, McGee had a sudden sense of contentment. At that moment McGee knew that everything would be alright and he look up with tears in his eyes and sent a silent thank you to the woman who'd given him the most precious gift in the whole world.
The end.