I wish I didn't have to apologize every time I updated, but I am sorry for taking so long. There have been tests, sickness, presentations, more tests, and life in general. Anyway, without further ado, Chapter 10.
Ziva was now ten weeks pregnant and her and Tony were in an exam room waiting for her doctor. She was somewhat nervous, but also excited to see what the baby looked like and hopefully see the heartbeat. Tony knew that she was nervous by her lack of eye contact and twisting her hands together. He grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "It's gonna be okay. All right?" She nodded and squeezed his hand back.
There was a knock at the door and Dr. Jackson entered. She said with a bubbly voice, "Hi, Ziva how are you?" and gives her a quick hug. She looks at Tony and extends her hand to him. "Oh, hi, you must be Tony? It's nice to meet you."
Tony shook her hand, "Hi, nice to meet you, too." Dr. Jackson walked to the other side of the exam table and looked at the tablet she was carrying.
"So, all your tests from you first appointment came back okay, so now we'll just wait for the genetic testing results to get back."
Ziva nodded as Dr. Jackson instructed her to lie back on the exam table. Dr. Jackson started to press on her stomach, "So, how is the morning sickness?"
Ziva answered, "It's not quite as bad as before, but it still happens a few days a week."
Dr. Jackson nodded. "Okay, that should start to go away in the next two weeks or so. Any other unusual symptoms?" Ziva shook her head. "Alright, let's see if we can find the heartbeat today." She squeezed some gel onto Ziva's stomach and turned on the machine in front of them As she placed the probe onto Ziva's stomach a fuzzy black and white field appeared on the screen. Ziva reached her hand towards Tony who took it both of his and rested his chin on them.
They both looked toward the screen and saw the image of their baby appear. They could make out a small body with a large, oversized head, two arms, and two legs. Tony, who had to make his opinions known, and to try and calm Ziva's nerves, said in his witty tone of voice, "It looks like an alien." To which both Ziva and Dr. Jackson laughed. Ziva looked at him at smiled and he rubbed her hand in return. Dr. Jackson kept the probe steady, but it looked like the baby was moving in different directions. She laughed and smiled,
"Baby's moving like crazy, look at that. I think I'll still be able to find the heartbeat, though" She moved the probe around some more and the image changed. They could no longer see the full body, but saw an oval-like shape pulsating. Dr. Jackson held the probe steady and pointed to the screen with her other hand.
"Baby looks great and there's the heartbeat." She said in a joyful voice. Tony and Ziva looked at each other. He brought her hand to his lips again and smiled at her. Tears began to form in her eyes. Dr. Jackson then hit a button on the keyboard in front of her. The room soon filled with the sound of a muffled, rapid thumping racing at a mile a minute. "Heart rate is 167 bpm which is great." She informed them.
The tears that were in Ziva's eyes started to escape. Tony leaned forward and wiped the tears away with his thumb. He noticed that Dr. Jackson was occupied typing on her tablet so he went ahead and put his forehead against Ziva's. He smiled at her and continued to wipe her tears. Dr. Jackson's voice interrupted them from their short reverie. "Okay, so everything looks good." She started to clean off Ziva's stomach with a towel.
"Would you like me to print out some pictures?" Both Tony and Ziva nodded. "So, I will call you with the results of the genetic tests and then we'll talk about setting up another appointment, okay." She said, handing the pictures to Ziva.
Ziva nodded, "Thank you." Dr. Jackson smiled and said to Tony as she exited,
"It was nice to meet you, Tony. I'll talk to you soon Ziva."
When the door closed Tony helped Ziva up and wrapped his arms around her. "You ready?" He asked. She nodded and let out a sigh. They walked out of the office with their arms around each other.
The car ride back to the office was silent with only the sound of passing cars on the freeway surrounding them. Ziva first went down to see Abby, who insisted on seeing her right after the appointment. The elevator stopped at the squad room and Tony gave Ziva a quick kiss before exiting and then blew her a kiss as the door closed.
Ziva entered Abby's lab and had to nearly yell her name to get her attention over the loud music. Abby immediately stopped the music and ran over to give Ziva a hug. "Thanks for coming to see me." She said joyfully.
Ziva chuckled, "Uh, you made me come down here."
"Oh. Right." She laughed. "So how was it?"
"It was a doctor's appointment, but everything's fine." She saw Ziva give a slight smile and then look down, hesitant.
"What's wrong?" Abby put a hand on her shoulder. She looked back up at her and slightly smiled.
"I heard the heartbeat." Tears started forming in her eyes. Abby hugged her.
"Oh my God! Then why are you crying?"
"Well, it was the most amazing thing I have ever heard."
"Of course it was. Your baby has a heart and -"
"It reminded me that it's really happening. I do not think I am ready for this." Ziva interrupted. Abby put her arm around her.
"Yes, it is happening, but you're ready."
"Don't lie to me, Abby. I am not mother material. I was raised to be a killer. I don't know if I can be a mom. I don't want my child to have the same struggles that I had growing up."
Abby sighed. "Okay, I won't say that you're ready if it's not going to help, but I will give you some facts. There is no way that your child will be affected by your past. You're in a different place with a different family, you will be a parent to your child and be everything that your father was not. You have Tony, you have me, McGee, and Gibbs." She paused. "So, how is my little niece or nephew?"
Ziva smiled at the endearment. She reached for her purse and handed Abby a picture of her ultrasound. "See for yourself."
Abby's eyes and mouth went wide. "Aw, it's so cute."
Ziva smiled again and said to her sincerely, "There is one thing I do not understand though."
"What is that?"
"I love it already, Abby."
Abby smiled. "That's why you'll be a great mom."
A/N: Just wanted to let you all know that I am studying child development so please no comments on anything related to the pregnancy. However, I'm having some trouble. I feel like all of my chapters are ending the same. There is not much variety. Any tips? I have some future scenes in mind, but I mean several chapters from now. Should I pass any larger amount of time? Focusing is hard for me right now, but I will try my best. I really appreciate all of you who read. It means more than you know.