It took three weeks but the DiNozzo's were finally settling in to their new lives. Gavriella was now riding in a carpool with her friend Cat and a couple other neighborhood kids and Carson was actually making decent grades for the first time since elementary school. Tony was adapting to his new job and getting on well with the Probie temporarily assigned to the team. He was talking to Gibbs more and spending a great deal of time with Jimmy. As far as McGee and Abby went he would greet them in the morning and bid them farewell at night. Other than that he only acknowledged them when he absolutely had to.

John David unfortunately remained in the hospital. He got out of the ICU after a week and spent another three days in the regular ward but took a nasty turn on the day he was supposed to be released. He remained in Intensive Care. Tony went by the hospital every day for at least a few minutes. Ziva had aged fifty years since the stay. She was only bathing every other day and had only washed her hair twice since John was admitted. Juliana was not doing much better. She spent her evenings at the hospital and was crashing on the couch of a friend who lived nearby. Tony tried to either bring a home cooked meal by every day and if he couldn't he would have something ordered to the hospital. The truth was Tony was in love with Ziva. He didn't want to say it when her child was fighting for his life and he certainly did not want to say it when his own children were finally adjusting. Gavriella barely remembered her mom but Carson had many times begged him never to date again. He knew he couldn't let the children dictate his life but things were finally working out.

Tony returned from work and headed for the kitchen. The team had just wrapped the case they had been working for over a week and Gibbs had dismissed them early. He had four hours until visiting hours ended at the hospital but he could see Ziva anytime in the family lounge. Many of their interactions were early morning or late at night when Tony either had just left the office or was getting ready to come in early. Today he was planning a special meeting with Ziva to treat her to a semi traditional Seder dinner. He was so frazzled by everything he could not remember if the holiday had actually passed or not but he knew the basic set up thanks to many a weekend being spent in the home of his Jewish roommate Daniel. He could not do all the traditions but he could at least give Ziva the meal.

"Whatever that is smells gross. Please tell me you are making some health dinner for the geek and you and I are going to Burgers, Booze, and Boobs." Carson pleaded.

"One not until you are eighteen. Two this is a Seder dinner for Ziva and Juliana and three we are having Broccoli Casserole." Tony explained.

"Maybe August Twenty ninth is reverse leap year and I am already eighteen." Carson snarked.

"No such thing now go collect your sister from Angie's house. We will be eating at seven thirty. Be ready to eat broccoli casserole or pay for your own meal." Tony explained.

"Fine" Carson sighed.

Ziva unwrapped her meager sandwich. She had just shelled out three hundred dollars to get Juliana new eye glasses. Her daughter had needed glasses when she was small but for many years had only required reading glasses. That's what the optometrist had told her for the past seven years and that's what Ziva had thought worked. Until getting an urgent call from the nurse that Juliana was in desperate need of real glasses. A program from the school covered the exam. Unfortunately the lenses prescription was far more expensive than Ziva had anticipated and due to Juliana being so athletic they chose to pay extra for the sports frames. Ziva was already broke from the mounting medical bills for John and now this. She didn't know what she was going to do. Juliana had chipped in fifty dollars for the glasses and that was a huge help but it was not near enough. Families got three free meals a day but Ziva had given her dinner credit to Juliana. She managed to scrape together enough money to pay for a disgusting sandwich from the gas station across the street.

"That cannot be your dinner." Tony commented.

"I don't have enough money for anything better. I am lucky I could afford this old sandwich. Juliana needs glasses and I found out John may need a tracheostomy. That's weeks more in the PICU and then constant specialized care. Our nurse isn't vent trained." Ziva explained sobbing heavily.

"You know I make sure you get dinner every night." Tony replied handing her the containers.

"What is this?" Ziva asked.

"A Seder dinner. I am so frazzled by the case I am not sure if I have the date right but I used to go home with my roommate all the time and went to several Seders." Tony explained.

"Well this can't be traditional and the Seder was two days ago. That being said this is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long time and while I haven't kept Kosher in years these are still some of my favorites." Ziva explained wiping away tears.

"I just wanted to help you out." Tony replied.

Ziva could not fall asleep, there was so much on her mind. She had some major decisions to make regarding John. Bright and early in the morning she would literally be choosing life or death for her son. Put him through a risky medical procedure that would further complicate every bodies lives or remove him from the ventilator and let nature take it's course? John's mounting medical concerns were not the only thing on her mind. Tony had been on her mind since the day she met him. He had a heart of gold and was handsome to boot. She wanted ask him out but she did not know how to do it. What was she supposed to do? "Hey my kid is in the ICU and a machine will be breathing for him for the rest of his life but do you want to go out sometime?" Tony was too much of a family man to fall for that one. Maybe she was better alone. Better without a man who would be forever bound by her demons and John's lifelong suffering. John would die far too young with or without the trach. Without they said days to weeks. With the trach no more than two years. Her son was dying and she wished desperately it could be her instead.

A/N What will it take for Tony and Ziva to confess their feelings? What will Ziva decide for John? New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.