Some of you may remember that on Friends, Ross suggested to Rachel that they name their baby Isabella. I forgot all about that until after I had already named Tony and Ziva's baby. I thought it was kind of a cool coincidence, though.
This is a really short chapter, but I'm pretty sure it's the one you've all been waiting for, so I really hope you enjoy it anyway!
The night stretches on and on. Tony downs cup after cup of coffee. Ziva falls into fitful bursts of sleep. Around midnight, she gives up altogether. The overhead lights go back on, and so does the TV. Sitcoms and infomercials are their background noise as the minutes tick by. They knew that labor was largely a waiting game, but Tony did not expect it to be quite so anticlimactic. His initial rush of adrenaline wore off long ago. Caffeine is the only reason he's still awake. For Ziva, it's contractions. The bags beneath her eyes seem to darken with each passing hour, but she still continues to decline the epidural. She is tough; there's never been any question about that. Even so, the ease with which she has endured this labor is downright badass.
Dawn breaks. Yet another exam reveals that Ziva is still only seven centimeters dilated; she has been stuck there for most of the night. The pain and fatigue and frustration are beginning to get to her, he can tell. She keeps ducking her head and wiping her eyes. He isn't sure whether he should comfort her or pretend he hasn't noticed her upset, so he casually places his hand on the edge of the bed, where she can grab it if needed. She never does.
Around six-thirty, Tony's phone lights up with an incoming call from Gibbs. This will be the fourth time their boss has checked in, and there is still not much to report. He gets to his feet. "Hey. I'm gonna go grab some coffee and take this. Need anything?"
"No, I'm good."
"Okay." When he kisses her forehead, he can taste salty beads of sweat. Surely this will not last much longer. "Be right back."
He answers the call as he steps into the hallway. Gibbs grumpily responds, "Take you long enough to push a button, DiNozzo?"
"Sorry. I was talking to Ziva."
"How's she doin'?"
"Hanging in."
"What about you?"
Tony's steps falter a little, causing a pregnant woman in a wheelchair to nearly run over his toes. Mouthing an apology, he moves out of her way. "You know, I'm not sure how to answer that. I'm sort of in a caffeine coma here."
There is a pause. Gibbs is either smirking or frowning. Not knowing for sure is unnerving. "Try to savor this, DiNozzo. You only become a dad once."
Advice from Agent Gibbs should usually be followed, but advice from Gibbs the father is worth holding in high regard. As Tony joins a group of people waiting for the elevator, he finds himself looking into a mirror on the wall straight ahead. "I will."
"Good. And Tony." The switch from last name to first is never a good sign. "I got the message when Ziva told me to butt out, but I'm gonna go ahead and tell you this once. Only once. I'm not a blind man, and I'm not stupid, and I know how it is to have the person you love taken away from you. So listen to me: do not let her slip through your fingers."
Tony watches his own jaw clench. The line separating his and Ziva's present relationship from something more is very blurry as of late, and Gibbs is absolutely correct: he could lose her in a million different ways. But, God, he just can't think about that right now. He can't.
"Today, we're having a baby," he says at last. "We'll see what happens tomorrow."
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The elevator never comes. Grumbling, the others go to use the one on the other end of the floor, but Tony just takes the stairs. Five flights leave him embarrassingly out of breath. He is trying not to pant too loudly as he enters the hospital cafeteria and heads for the coffee station. The young guy working there, probably nearing the end of his overnight shift, grins knowingly. "You're back."
"Yep."
"Same order?"
"Yeah." Tony pulls out his last few dollar bills. When the guy puts the coffee down in front of him, it is not a moment too soon. "Here. Keep the change."
"Thanks, man. Hey, maybe next time you come down you'll have that new father glow."
Tony laughs shortly. "Doubtful."
Back up the stairs and into the maternity ward he goes, careful not to slosh hot coffee all over his arm. He walks leisurely in the direction of Ziva's room until he hears her voice, distressed and shrill. Another woman's soothing tone follows. He can't make out their exact words, but something is clearly happening. Suddenly, he doesn't even need any caffeine. Pure adrenaline pushes him to close the distance between himself and his partner.
In the room, he finds two nurses and a doctor all moving quickly around Ziva's bed. Her knees are spread apart, and when she sees him, her face twists into a peculiar mixture of annoyance, relief and pain.
"What the hell is going on?" he asks.
The doctor answers. "The baby's had enough. We're dilated all the way, she's crowning. We're pushing. Dad, grab a leg."
"What?" he sputters as his brain struggles to process this abrupt development. One of the nurses curls her hand under Ziva's knee and hikes her whole leg up in the air. Tony takes the cue and does the same. He looks down at Ziva and finds her already staring at him, her expression unreadable. With his free hand, he smoothes down her messy hair. "Hey," he whispers, "you've got this. Come on. We're almost there. Isabella, she's almost here."
Ziva swallows and nods. "I know."
The doctor positions herself at the foot of the bed. "Alright, Ziva. Push when you're ready."
She hesitates for a moment, her eyes squeezed shut. Then they pop open, bearing new fire. "I'm ready."
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Ziva is a thousand times stronger than he could ever hope to be. She grunts and pants, but doesn't scream until the final push, the one that sends their baby girl careening into the world. Tony lets her leg down gently, and she immediately pushes herself up on her hands, watching as the doctor takes Isabella to be cleaned off. He slips his arm around her shoulders- for her support, or his, he isn't quite sure- and he stares, too. Nothing can be heard over the sound of Isabella's wails. Her raw voice completely dominates the room, and her shock of dark hair is all he can see.
When all the blood and fluid has been removed from her body, leaving nothing but pure, unblemished skin, a nurse swaddles her in a blanket, slips a tiny pink hat on her head, and walks back over to them. Ziva holds out her arms. The nurse carefully settles Isabella within them. "Congratulations, you two," she says with a soft smile, and then she is gone.
"Look at her, Tony." Ziva whispers as if she does not possess the physical or emotional strength to speak any louder. "Look."
He couldn't look away if he tried.
Sitting down on the bed next to her, he palms Isabella's head, so tiny within his large hand. She instinctively turns into his touch; her cries, quieter now, send warm breaths over his skin. Aside from her mother, she is the most amazing creature he's ever laid eyes on.
Ziva peppers kisses all over the baby's face. His hand is still there, so she accidentally catches one of his fingers with her lips, giving her pause. Tony waits for her to move away and act like nothing happened- it isn't really a big deal, after all- but then she raises her head and looks right at him for the first time since they became parents. Unlike earlier, she makes no attempt to hide the tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.
Carefully, she takes one arm out from under Isabella, keeping her balanced in the other one. She slides her hand around the back of his neck. He stares down at her- his partner, his best friend. The mother of his child.
"Thank you," she says lowly.
Tony feels like he should be the grateful one, but he nods anyway. When she pulls his head down and melds her mouth against his, he kisses her back. One second, two; that's all the longer it lasts. But it's enough.
All of this is more than enough.