AN: Here's a sort of fluffy Tivaish chapeter. Not really much plot involved here folks. I've never written fluff before so tell me how it goes. Voila!
Tony sat up in bed trying to pass the time. In spite of the various drugs circulating through his system, he was wide awake. He glanced over at the clock display on the wall which read 1:32AM. It's late. Or early. Whichever it is. Where do you draw the line?
By the time the display read 2:00, Tony had learned that the floor was inlaid with 49 tiles, and every third tile was red in contrast with the remaining pale blue, the ceiling had four fluorescent lights, and the curtain around his bed was held up with 25 rings. He noticed something new on his nightstand as well, a well thumbed copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. He assumed that the dusty old tome was from Ducky, to keep him occupied. Yeah, I'll be in the hospital for another two weeks, and I'm going to spend it reading poetry...right.
He was met with the sudden realization that he wasn't alone in this sterilized hell. He dragged himself out of bed and lumbered over to Ziva's bed, pushing his IV stand along with him. The serpentine tube had been withdrawn from her throat and Bert the flatulent hippo was tucked under her arm. It warmed his heart to see that she was healing. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, a small smile would etch across her visage every so often. He sat down in the chair beside her; now unrestricted by visiting hours, he could stay here with her all night.
"Mr. DiNozzo!" a shrill voice called from the hallway, "What the hell do you think you're doing, up and about in your condition. Get into bed, now!"
He rolled his eyes lethargically. Pam, the nurse who was on graveyard that night, had been riding him all night. And not in the fashion he preferred. She had confiscated the GSMs that Abby had hidden for him under his pillow, his iPod, and his harmonica, which McGee had only brought him so that he could annoy the faculty. Conceding to Pam's will he climbed into bed beside Ziva, who then began to stir.
"You didn't specify who's bed to get into," he replied with a grin.
Ziva opened her eyes and realized that she wasn't alone. She instinctively reached for her Sig under her pillow, only to find that it wasn't there. She faced her intruder, only to find that the nuisance, while irritating, meant her no harm. "What are you doing in my bed?" she murmured lazily.
"Mr. DiNozzo, do not harass the other patients! If you would be so kind, get intoyour bed!" the woman commanded. Pam did not appear threatening at first glance. She was a short, elderly, blond woman, but she had a temper like a tigress.
As Tony began to reluctantly climb out of Ziva's bed, Pam came over to check on her. "How are you feeling?" she asked in a tone much sweeter than the one she'd used with Tony. "Sexist" Tony thought to himself.
"I've felt better." she mumbled, "How long have I been in here?"
"Nine days." the nurse replied, "You're lucky to be alive, but you seem to be making steady progress. What might I ask is that thing?" she asked, indicating Bert
"Oh, his name is Bert." Ziva explained. She had never understood why that flatulent creature was so dear to Abby, but the fact that she had been entrusted with Bert meant that Abby considered her to be a dear friend.
"Is this, Bert, hygienic?" Pam asked sceptically
"Sure, why not!" Tony told her, earning himself a glare from Pam. "And how can you say no to that face?" He asked the nurse, using big puppy dog eyes, and shoving Bert's face inches from hers.
"The damn plush can stay, but I don't like it." Pam told the two. "Both of you should get some rest."
As Pam turned to leave, Tony aimed Bert's rear end at her, and squeezed the hippo. The loud fart that resulted made Pam jump, and earned Tony another glare that could melt steel.
After she'd left, Tony sat down on the edge of her bed. "Abby'd kill me if anything should happen to that stupid thing. Are you feeling any better?" he asked taking her hand in his
"Sore, but alive. It still hurts to breathe." she told him as she tried to sit up. Tony gently but firmly pushed her back down into bed.
"I've been there, Ziva." he said remembering his near fatal encounter with Y. Pestis, a time when he too found breathing painful. "It's going to get better though." he soothed, pressing the button on her morphine drip
"What are you doing here?" she whispered
"Visiting you. What does it look like I'm doing?" he replied with a smirk
"No, I mean, why are you in a hospital gown, connected to an IV, and being told that you shouldn't be up and about 'in your condition'" she asked. Tony noted that her heart monitor showed an increase in her pulse as she spoke
"I'm alright Ziva, really. It was just a graze." he told her in an attempt to sooth her fears. He pulled up his sleeve to show her his bandaged wound, "See? All taken care of."
"You were shot?!" she asked, her voice rising in pitch
"Don't worry about it. It's been 36 hours since then, and they might let me go in a couple days."
Ziva seemed to calm down a little, seemingly embarrassed by her emotional outburst. "When do you think they'll let me out of here?"
He sighed. He knew she felt helpless, but being in here was the best thing for her right now. She still was in a lot of pain, and was as weak as a kitten. "Not for a little while. But don't stress over it. McGee killed the bastard who did this to you. And me." he added, looking down at his feet, "You're right though. You shouldn't be in here, neither of us would be in here if I hadn't-"
She pressed her finger to his lips and cut him off mid-sentence. "I do not blame you for this Tony. No one does. Anything that you possibly could have done to contribute to this mess is long since forgotten."
"I'm so sorry Ziva. This never should have happened."
She wiggled her forefinger, beaconing him closer. As he came closer, she scooted over to let him sit down. She only made it over a few inches before it became too painful. He sat down next to her, just holding her for a while, letting her rest in his arms. He couldn't protect her before, but he would do everything within his power to help her through this. "Hey, do you like Shakespeare?" he finally asked
He moved over to his nightstand to retrieve the massive tome. As he flipped through the pages, he made a face. "Is something wrong?" Ziva asked from her bed
Tony poked his head out the door to check for Pam. Once he was sure that the coast was clear, he moved to her bed and closed the curtain around them. "Ducky hollowed out Shakespeare! Ducky! Can you imagine?" he whispered, "That's not what I'd expect from him, but man, I love him for it!"
"What did he fill it with? A gun?" Ziva asked, curiously trying to peek at the pages
"No, Spygirl. Ducky didn't give me a gun." he said, opening it for her to see. A portable DVD player was hidden in the core of the book, along withCasino Royal, You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, all three Austin Powers movies, and all the classic Bond films. "Where do you want to start?" he grinned
"How about we start with Pussy Galore?" she asked, feigning innocence at the double-entendre
He slipped the DVD into the player, and nested himself into Ziva's bed. She leaned back into his arms, resting her head on his uninjured shoulder. He thought to himself, "I need to get shot more often!"
AN: Review? Constructive criticism is welcome, flames are not. I still have no beta, so the position is available!
