VIII. As Imagined

"Daddy, you want a house?"

"You made Daddy a house yesterday. Can I have a car today?"

"Mmhmm."

"Let's see." Tony spread out the coloured paper and pushed the scissors towards Lila. "What shapes do you need?"

Lila had already picked up the pair of scissors and begun cutting. "Wectangle."

Tony smiled faintly, amused. "Do you think you can cut a rectangle out better if you draw an outline first, Lila?"

"No."

"Alright. We'll see how it turns out. What other shapes will you need, little princess?"

Lila put down the scissors and thought hard. "Circles?"

"For the wheels?"

"Yea."

"Yup, I think so too. Okay, let's start."

xoxo

Ziva lowered herself onto the couch and watched her husband play with her daughter; the early morning sunlight shone upon them, lighting them up and giving the entire room an aura of peace and harmony. She relaxed. Ever since Tony quit, she had been feeling a lot less stressed out. He had been fantastic, stepping into the role of father and househusband more smoothly than either of them could have imagined. She smiled to herself. He really was an angel.

"The doctor's office called," she spoke up.

He looked at her distractedly. "What did they say?"

"It is a positive."

"It is?" He stared, hardly believing his ears.

"Yes." She got up and sat down next to her husband and daughter, beaming. "I am pregnant."

"Oh my God!" He laughed and threw his arms around her. "Oh my God!"

Lila looked from parent to parent, frowning. She didn't like that Mommy had taken Daddy's attention away from her. "Pwenant?" she asked petulantly.

Ziva gathered her little girl into her arms. "You are going to have a baby brother or sister," she said, bouncing Lila in her lap. Lila furrowed her eyebrows. "Do you know what that means?"

The little girl shook her head.

"In ten months, we will bring a baby home. This baby is your family, like Mommy and Daddy are. We will need you to help us take care of it, because it is very small. Sometimes you will have to share Mommy and Daddy with the baby. Do you understand?"

"Sare?"

"Yes. That means sometimes Mommy and Daddy will be busy with the baby and cannot play with you. But we love you and want you to help us with it. Do you want to help us?"

Lila nodded.

"Good girl. You are going to be a big sister. You will have Big Sister jobs, which are very important. The baby is staying with us so you will have many Big Sister jobs for many years."

Lila grinned. "Me help!"

Ziva hugged her daughter to herself and kissed the crown of Lila's head. "I am so glad you want to."

xoxo

Ziva had been right; they did need a yard. It felt good to get out into fresh air once a day, even if they were still at home. He watched as Lila ran back and forth trying to kick a large ball; it was wondrous how she laughed even as she fell, simply happy to be out and running free. She would occasionally abandon the ball to investigate a corner of the yard, and his only job was to make sure she didn't eat anything she wasn't supposed to.

Ben was in his arms, content to be drinking milk from the baby bottle. Ziva prepared five bottles before she went to work each day; it was organized and routine, and kept the household running well.

Lila was studying a shrub closely now, as if trying to determine how it came to be there. With a quick motion she reached out and plucked off a flower. Running to Tony, she held it out. "Daddy."

He smiled. "Yes, Lila?"

"This is a fower."

"Is the flower for me?"

"Yea, it is."

He accepted her offering. "Thank you. It's a beautiful flower."

"Welcome." She giggled and patted Ben, albeit with a much gentler force than she had used on her teddy bear. "Bye-bye, Ben. See you later." Spinning on her heels, she went back to her attempts with the ball.

xoxo

"Mommy?"

"Yes, nesicha?" Ziva looked down at Lila, whom she held in her arms. They were sitting on the floor of the little girl's bedroom, Ziva having just read Lila a story.

"Baby come?"

"No, not yet. The baby will come in mid-winter, when it is snowing outside."

"Winter come?"

Ziva ruffled her daughter's hair. "Not for a few months. I will tell you when winter comes."

Lila pondered for a while. "Baby boy?"

"Yes. Remember when I told you that you are a girl, and that boys and girls are different, but both very special?"

"Yes!"

"Mommy and Daddy will need to take care of the baby differently from how we took care of you. But you are both important to us. Lila, you will not have everything your brother has, but your abba and I will give you what you need."

"Okay."

"Do you want to help Mommy and Daddy pick out a name for your brother?"

"Yes!"

"Tomorrow I will show you a list of names, and you can help pick one you like."

"Okay."

Ziva kissed her daughter. "Bedtime." Lila crawled out of her mother's lap and allowed Ziva to put her into her crib. She wriggled into a lying position and Ziva tucked her in. "Do you want your song?"

Lila nodded.

And just like she had, years ago with her neighbour's child, Ziva softly sang her own child to sleep.