Author's Note: Oh my god, I am sorry, two weeks. I don't deserve you guys, I am so sorry for being late. Exams, exams, exams, planning for Africa etc. Oh and I also had to go hospital recently, so I vented a little about my hate of hospitals in this chapter. I am trying really hard to finish this story before I leave, but its 14 days till I go and I'm not certain I will, sorry. I hope you like this, please review.
Chapter Ten
Ziva slept for another few hours, waiting till it was considered a normal time to wake up. Although time in the hospital seem to move at an usually slow and distorted place. Tony slept half on the chair and half on the window ledge he was leaning, using a spare pillow a nurse had given him. The caffeine crash had hit hard, and no amount of coffee would help so he finally relented. When he woke up the sun glared and almost burned his eyes, slowly he opened them and let in the harsh light. For a moment he forgot where he was until he looked over and saw Ziva staring into a small compact mirror, prodding her tender nose.
"It won't heal if you do that…" Tony muttered groggily. She winced at the sight and feel of her tissue, it was misshapen and a disgusting shade of purple mixed with undertones of green and yellow. "Sleep well?" Tony asked stretching in the chair.
"Fine. Though perhaps not the most restful night I've had. I hate hospitals." Ziva groaned.
"Everyone does, but you should be out of here today." It seemed that Ziva had forgotten about that because at the news her face lit up, and she almost smiled.
"Great. Let's go." She closed the mirror and tried to climb out of her prison like surroundings but her physical condition continued to restrain her. Tony rushed over as she collapsed back on to the bed and held his arm out for support.
"Let's just try walking to restroom first before you sprint out of here." He suggested guessing she probably had to go. Ziva nodded and tried again to stand up. The hospital gown modestly covered her, but combined with the nothing underneath and her bare felt naked and exposed. WIth her free arm she tried to pull it past her knees but there was no give, her other arm was gripped around Tony as he held up most of her weight. It was a slow hobble, one that took at least three times longer than it should have. His arm wrapped around her waist, avoiding her ribs, but ready to catch her if she fell.
"Are you going to be okay in there?" Tony said as Ziva pulled the door open, leaning on the wall.
"I will be fine, you are not going to watch me pee DiNozzo." Ziva glared, but her joke like tone negated the stare.
"Like it would be any different from you barging into the men's at work…" Tony pointed out as he helped her transfer her weight from the wall, to using the door for support. With the door closed behind her she took a second to catch her breath and rest. She had been faking infront of him, she didn't want to seem any worse but the walk had been agony for her. Every step she took necessitated moving her upper body, her ribs, which were the most painful. Her nose was broken but it didn't stop her moving, neither did the bruises or the lower pain she refused to think about. Slowly she limped to the toilet, one hand on the sink, another on the wall, then on the handles put up for disabled people. She rejoiced in sitting down, even if it was only for a short time, the cold seat was uncomfortable and Ziva had to make a special effort to lean back to avoid bending her torso against her rib cage. When she got up, she forgot, and did so with such speed she doubled over in painful shock. Her arm slapped the seat as she fell and the other one broke her fall when her legs collapsed from under her.
"Damnit!" She cried out connecting with the tile floor. Tony knocked loudly. "I'm fine. I just...I am fine Tony." She assured him clambering back up. With her should leaning against the wall, she stood sideways to the sink and washed her hands with the foul smelling antibacterial soap. It smelt like every hospital every had, not clean, but clinical and inappropriately pure. Pure annoyance in Ziva's case.
Later that day a young intern wheeled in what could only be described as a 'crappy' wheelchair. Ziva narrowed her eyes with Tony skeptically, would the ancient and broken chair even take her weight? The seat was a cushioned beige and the backrest was a thin brown material that had two different holes in. Tony helped Ziva get into it and they both took a sharp intake of air as the seat dipped with her weight. On his knees the intern started to adjust the foldable rests for her feet. One of the screws came out and it landed with a metallic clatter on the floor. Tony raised his eyebrows.
"It always does that, you just have to put it back. Turn it clockwise and it should stay in place until you move it. Ziva, guided by the man's hands, put each of her boots on the steps in was so glad to have her own clothes to leave in, and really appreciated McGee bringing them for her. McGee had to go back to work however, and technically so did Tony but it seemed Gibbs was feeling kind as he had no missed calls. Perhaps the Director has overruled him, trying to make up for her screw up, thought Tony. Infact, 'screw up' was the polite term, he still felt angrily that Jenny had ignored his concerns, and in his opinion, completely and utterly fucked up monumentally.
"Tony?" Ziva said interrupting his thoughts. The intern held out a clipboard and a pen.
"Huh?" Tony said still slightly zoned out. The intern left and the Doctor they had met in the waiting room entered.
"It's a discharge form ensuring that you understand the risks of signing yourself out, against my recommendations." The Doctor replied stressing the last part. Tony scanned through it.
"Why do I have to sign it?" Tony asked scratching his head awkwardly.
"The only way I can allow Miss David to leave is under someone's care, and with no next of kin in the country, she asked whilst you were still asleep this morning that it be you. She will still need help at home, and with everyday activities." The Doctor explained, a worried and yet somehow grateful look passed on Tony's face. She trusted him enough to let him be that person? Yet what did he know about medical care…
"If there are any problems with either of you, call this number and you will be put through to my cell phone." He handed over a paper card with the details and Tony put it in his pocket carefully. "Ziva, I expect to see you back here in ten days for your check up. Okay?" Ziva nodded in her chair as Tony signed the form. They handed the clipboard back and got ready to leave.
"Tony! I do not need you pushing me around like an invalid!" Ziva shouted frustrated. Grabbing the wheels to roll herself. "Sorry…" She added at her sudden outburst, that had caused several people in the hospital car park. Feeling weak, or needing help, was not something she coped with well.
"It's okay Ziva. Come on let me help you out of that chair." Tony said holding out his hands. He opened the passenger car door and assisted her in climbing in. He shut the door behind her and folded the chair and slung it in the back seat.
"Your place?" Tony suggested sliding into the driver's chair adjusting his feet over the pedals. Ziva nodded and Tony started the engine. The drive was silent, Ziva liked to think when driving, watching everything outside roll by in a calming manner. Several times Tony tried to start a conversation, but each time she only replied with a one or two word answer. When they got to her apartment it was the first time she noticed how unfriendly it was for wheelchairs. There was no ramp up to the doors, and as such she had to hobble up as Tony lifted the chair. The elevator was barely big enough for a person let alone a chair, Tony was inches from being sat on her in the cramped box.
"You know, you should uh, really speak to your landlord about disabled access." Tony joked as she reversed out on her floor.
"I am not disabled." Ziva replied as they came to her door. She reached up and ripped the crime scene tape off the door, throwing it on the floor in a screwed up ball. Clearly someone had tried hard to clean up, but there was a faint stain of blood on the floor, and small missed spots on the walls. She wondered if the bedroom was still messy looking over to the door.
"No one's been in there, it wasn't part of the crime scene so...yeah." He said reading her thoughts. She rolled over, trying not to get the wheels caught on the rug when she pushed the door open Tony gasped following her in.
There sheets were strewn on the floor, blood on the remaining bed sheets on the bed. Some where her head must have been at the time, at the top of the bed, some...elsewhere. One of the draws of her dresser was on the floor, her belongings scattered everywhere. Ziva tried to bend in her chair to pick it up but winced.
"Let me clear this up. No, no argument. We both signed a form, so I have to, and you have to let me." Tony smirked at her slotting the draw back in and picking up the hairbrush, the hair bands, a clear nail polish. Once the floor was clear he had to deal with the blood, he grabbed cleaning supplies from the kitchen cupboard and started to scrub at it. With his homemade solution most of the stain was gone in no time, and he left a small amount of the liquid to absorb into the carpet to blot at it later. Ziva had gone into the main living area of her apartment while he worked, the smell of chemicals made her feel ill. He pulled the sheets off the bed and floor and folded them in towards the stain so it wasn't visible.
"Does your apartment have a laundry room?" He asked emerging from the newly tidied room, it looked cleaner than it ever had when he was finished.
"In the basement." Ziva replied.
"Awesome. I'll be back in a second then." Tony said hesitant to leave for a second before reminding himself she would be fine. When he got back she was clearing up spilt coffee on the floor, she was out of her chair leaning against the fridge picked each bean up by hand.
"I was going to make up coffee, and I could quite reach the coffee in my chair and dropped it trying." Tony scooped up the remaining beans.
"I hate this goddamn chair. It's more of a hinderance than a help. Hopefully the pain medications will start working soon, and then I can walk." Ziva said as Tony helped her sit down in it again.
Once the troublesome coffee had been brewed they both sat on the sofa sipping it slowly, trying to feel the energy from it but without burning their tongues.
"It's okay to ask for help, you know, it's okay to need help. I know you aren't helpless Ziva, but this chair is only temporary. You'll be back to your old self in no time." Tony said putting his cup down to look at her.
"I know that." Ziva replied taking a small sip.
"Until then, you have to accept that people are going to want to help you. Yeah, it's annoying but you can't do everything by yourself. You have to let me help you. For now at least."
"It is not easy for me, just like with Ad-" Ziva stopped abruptly.
"You don't have to talk about it till you're ready. You just need to know that we are here for you, behind you, I've got your back Ziva. I will always have your back." He rested her hand on her shoulder in support. Her eyes were watering a little at the combination of the circumstances and his kind words.
"For all the jokes you make Tony, all the time you pretend not to care about anything, you are a very kind, caring, person. One day you'll see that yourself." Ziva said looking into her partners eyes.
"Hey, don't get 'sappy' on me. The only reason I gotta do this, is cos' I signed that form." He joked back half-heartedly.
"Of course." Ziva smirked sipping the coffee. "Well since you signed that form, could you grab me a banana from the counter? I can't take the medications on an empty stomach." She added explaining.
"Nope." Tony said grinning. Ziva raised her eyebrows and started to reach towards the chair. "A banana is not a meal Ziva, you need real food."
"I do not have much in." Ziva leaned back sighing, she hadn't been shopping before...She hadn't been shopping.
"Let's go out then, we could go into NCIS, and stop somewhere on the way." He suggested standing up ready to help her.
"Looking like this?" She gestured to face and bruises. Tony nodded helping her climb up.
"Ziva everyone will be glad to see you, even with your Mike Tyson nose." He teased holding out his finger mocking her, as if her were going to poke it. With her uninjured hand she grabbed it and twisted his hand round.
"Try it, DiNozzo, and you will be the one needing this chair." She threatened smiling ear to ear, and Tony laughed enjoying her good mood. It seemed like the first proper smile he'd seen in awhile.