Title: A Walk To Remember
Chapter: 9
Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS but i do however claim ownership of all other non-original characters from the show.
Author's note: Aw… You guys are way too good to me. I love reading your reviews. They make me so happy, so thank you to everyone who submitted one! I am also very happy to know that you are all enjoying this story. I hope that I can continue to meet your expectations. :) Anyways… this was a nice and quick update, but is a shorter (yet important!) chapter. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
Ziva sighed in frustration as she stared impatiently at the door to her hospital room the next day. The doctor had 'requested' that she stay overnight so that they could monitor her, but not being allowed to get out of bed and move around was killing Ziva.
What is taking them so long? She questioned, her impatience growing by the minute as she waited for Jenny and Gibbs to finish signing her out of the hospital. She glared at the door for a few more minutes, then sighed in relief when it opened. Finally!
Jenny walked in the door and smiled at Ziva's exasperated expression. Not bothering to offer an apology for the long wait, she simply handed Ziva a clean pair of clothes. "Your father and I will be waiting outside."
Ziva nodded and happily took the clean clothes; she was more than a little eager to get out of the gown the hospital had forced her to wear. "Thank you."
Jenny smiled and afforded Ziva some privacy by leaving the room and quietly closing the door behind her.
Ziva quickly got changed and threw the hospital gown on the bed, happy that she'd never have to see it again. She opened the door and quickly stepped into the hallway where Jenny and Gibbs were waiting for her.
Jenny smiled kindly at Ziva and Gibbs smirked, "You changed fast. Eager to leave, Ziver?"
Ziva glared playfully at her father before walking towards the elevator and mumbling under her breath, "I do not see why the hospital made me stay overnight. Nothing happened so I would have been fine at home. It is not like I am the first person to faint."
Jenny shared a secret smile with Gibbs as Ziva continued to grumble.
"Ziva." Gibbs spoke up and Ziva stopped her rant to look at her father. Gibbs simply smirked and nodded towards the waiting elevator, "If you hate this place so much, why don't we leave?"
Ziva rolled her eyes but stepped into the elevator. Gibbs and Jenny followed her in before Gibbs reached over and selected the ground floor. The three rode in silence until the shaft came to a stop and its' doors opened.
Gibbs, Jenny and Ziva all stepped out and made their way over to the family car. When they approached the Charger, Gibbs immediately went to the drivers' side, but Jenny placed her hand on his as he reached for the door.
One look at his wife told Gibbs about her intentions. He sighed in exasperation but, much to Jenny's surprise, gave in without a fight and handed her the keys which Jenny happily took before getting in the drivers' seat and starting the engine. She waited until Gibbs and Ziva were buckled in before pulling out of the hospital parking lot and heading towards their house.
Five minutes later, Jenny pulled the car to a stop in their driveway. She got out and went to the front door which she then unlocked.
After Ziva and Gibbs followed her inside, Jenny closed the door behind them and turned to face her family. After one look at Gibbs, he nodded and quietly left the room, leaving Jenny and Ziva alone.
"Ziva," Jenny began softly and Ziva's shoulders slumped forward slightly—she knew what was coming next.
Wordlessly, the young Israeli walked over to the couch and sat down, then looked at her mother expectantly, waiting for her to do the same.
Jenny obliged and took the seat next to Ziva before placing a comforting hand on her daughter's thigh.
"Did the doctor explain everything to you?" Jenny questioned and Ziva nodded her head meekly.
"Then…" Jenny paused and searched for the right words, "You un—"
"Mom." Ziva cut Jenny off, then tried to ignore the pang of guilt upon seeing a hurt look cross her mother's face. She took a deep breath before turning her body so she was facing Jenny, not just sitting next to her.
"We've been over this before. I… I'm sorry, but could we please just leave it alone now. Maybe… try and forget about for a while?"
Jenny closed her eyes, "I know this is difficult Ziva, but ignoring the problem won't make it go away."
Her mother's words were spoken softly and out of love, but the truth behind them stung. Ziva closed her eyes and forced her voice to stay level. "I know that Mom, I just—" Ziva's voice cracked slightly and she mentally cursed herself for showing such weakness. After taking a calming breath, she tried again, "I know Mom, but worrying over it won't get rid of the problem either. At least pretending that nothing is wrong allows me to live some-what normally."
Jenny sighed, she didn't want to do this, but she had to. "It's not fair." Ziva looked up at her questioningly and Jenny blinked back tears before finishing, "I won't tell you what to do, but I think that you know just as well as I do that it's not fair to keep Tony in dark on something like this."
When Ziva didn't respond Jenny sighed, "Like I said, it's totally up to you on what you decide to tell him… but ask yourself honestly, if the tables were turned, wouldn't you want him to tell you?"
With that, Jenny pushed herself up off the couch and quietly walked away, leaving Ziva alone with her thoughts.
Ziva ran both hands through her hair, a habit she had picked up from Tony, and sighed. She knew that Jenny was right. It wasn't fair to keep Tony in the dark. Yet…
Telling him now would ruin everything. Although Ziva knew that Tony didn't return her… feelings, they were friends and she didn't want to wreck that.
Sighing, Ziva pushed herself up off the coach and put making the decision off for at least another day. She'd have to decide sometime… but not now.
Standing up, Ziva was overwhelmed by the need to take a shower and wash away her hospital stay. After racing up the stairs, Ziva headed towards the bathroom and quickly discarded of her clothes before stepping into the shower.
She sighed in content and let the falling water wash away all of her worries.
Thirty minutes later, Ziva turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel off the rack and dried herself off before quickly getting dressed.
Looking in the mirror, she smiled, it felt good to be back home—even if she was only gone for one day.
After taking her hairdryer out of the drawer, Ziva dried her hair and brushed it neatly before leaving the bathroom. She started walking towards her bedroom, then changed directions and headed towards the kitchen. Hospital food wasn't the best quality, and she was starving.
Just as she was walking down the stairs, the doorbell rang.
"I GOT IT!" She called out, before opening the front door and revealing a nervous-looking Tony.
"Tony?" She questioned in surprise.
"Hey." Tony offered before shifting his weight uncomfortably, "I was just wondering how you were doing… back at home."
Ziva smiled and stepped back to allow Tony entrance, "Do you want to come inside?"
"Uh…" Tony ran a hand through his hair an gently shook his head. "I, uh. I can't stay for long, but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment… privately?"
"Oh." Ziva nodded, "Yeah that's fine."
Doing her best to conceal her confusion, Ziva stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind her.
After noting the look on Tony's face, Ziva felt dread wash over her as she wondered if he knew. "Is everything okay?" She questioned, her heart hammering in her chest as she did so.
Tony nodded slowly and refused to make eye-contact, something Ziva didn't take as a good sign.
"I…" Tony finally looked up and met Ziva's eyes, "I was wondering if you… wanted to go out with me this Saturday?"
Ziva's eyes widened in shock and when Tony didn't get a reply he blushed and looked at his feet, "Never mind. I mean, it's fine. I was just—"
"Tony." Tony stopped talking and forced himself to meet Ziva's eyes, "I'd love to."
Aw… I had to end it there. It was just so sweet that I didn't want to ruin it by going too far. Next chapter? The date!
Unfortunately, these happy times may not last forever…
Thanks for reading and please review!
