Chapter four
Ziva thought her throat was on fire. It burnt and it felt like sandpaper was ripping her throat up. Jenny was rubbing her back in a motherly way, something Ziva was not used to. She stopped coughing and saw Gibbs, Tony, McGee, Abby and Ducky all looking worried.
"I am infected, yes?" Ziva asked them.
"I'm afraid you are, dear," Ducky said sadly. Ziva sat up straighter and puffed out her chest. She did not want them to feel sorry for her.
"And me?" Jenny asked them quietly.
"You aren't, Jenny. You are free to come out," Ducky said. Jenny looked to Ziva.
"I'm staying," Jenny said, her jaw locking.
"Don't be stupid, Jen. Ziva, can still infect you," Gibbs snapped.
"No, she can't," Abby said. "It looks like it was altered to affect, Ziva's, DNA".
"I'm staying here, Agent Gibbs," Jenny said in a final tone.
"We are coming too," Tony said.
"No. It could still infect you. All of you," Ziva said. "Jenny has already made contact with this bug. She cannot be harmed, but you could still be".
Ziva started coughing again, a loud hacking cough. Tony was cringing on the inside. He wanted to be down there, comforting Ziva and to be the one to look after her.
Jenny was looking pale and was scared for Ziva. She remember her mission in Cairo when Ziva had saved her. Jenny had been beaten and her whole body bruised. Ziva had come out without a scratch. Now, Ziva was the one who was sick.
"Ducky, do we know how far apart the symptoms are?" Gibbs asked quietly.
"No, it is impossible to tell. It would be different for every person," Ducky said. Ziva started coughing again.
"We need the cure," Gibbs said. Ducky turned back to the screen.
"We are going to need a blood sample," Ducky said to them. Jenny looked to Ziva. "There is a needle in my bag".
Jenny moved towards Ducky's bag and begun sifting through it. She found a needle and moved back to Ziva.
"Do you know how to withdraw blood, Jenny?" Ducky asked.
"yes," Jenny said. Jenny bit her lip. Ziva rolled up the sleeve of her left arm. Jenny tied a glove around the top of her arm to make the blood pool. Jenny pushed through the needle through Ziva's arm and into the vein. She undid the glove and let the blood fill the vile. Once full, she took it out and stopped the bleeding. As soon as the needle was out of Ziva a wave of nausea hit her.
Jenny watched her pale.
"Ziva?" Jenny asked. Ziva stood up and moved to the basin where she promptly threw up. Jenny put the blood sample in an evidence bag and sealed it up.
"Jenny, go to the elevator," Ducky said. Jenny looked to Ziva who was still vomiting and moved towards the elevator. She waited and wasn't surprised to see Gibbs standing there. Jenny handed him the sample. She had to get back and see how Ziva was.
"You OK, Jen?" Gibbs asked. Jenny looked up into his eyes.
"I'm fine, Jethro," Jenny said. Gibbs placed a hand on her shoulder. Gently his lips touched hers. Jenny was momentarily stunned. Gibbs pulled back and got back into the elevator.
"She'll be OK, Jen. I promise," Gibbs said as the doors closed. Jenny hurried back into autopsy and helped Ziva on to one of the tables.
"Thank you, Jenny," Ziva said with a slight cough. She breathed deeply and smiled.
"You're going to be OK, Ziva," Jenny said, stroking her hair. Ziva didn't say anything. She was to stunned with the motherly way that Jenny was touching her. Never had she been looked after when she was sick. Her father always pushed her. She never stopped training when she had a cold or was feeling miserable. Never. Her mother had died when Ziva was young so she had forgotten what it felt to have a mother look after you. "Jenny?" Ziva said.
"Yes?" Jenny said. "Call Michael," Ziva said before she drifted of to sleep.
