John was taken back for surgery late the following afternoon. They had wanted to do it as soon as Ziva gave approval but an emergency arose with another patient and John had to be pushed back. There was a scare when John spiked a fever during the night but thankfully it broke after only an hour and the surgery was able to go as planned. Tony left early to be by Ziva's side while she waited.
Tony had hated hospitals his entire life. He had come into the world about a month premature and spent his first two weeks in the NICU. Unfortunately while he was a mostly healthy child his hospital stays did not end there. When he was about three he had surgery to correct a deformity in his sinuses. Then when he was six he had his appendix taken out. That was by far the worst personal experience until he had the plague. Two years later his mother died in the hospital. After that day Tony did all he could to avoid hospitals and doctors. His beloved nanny died begging for him because he was so afraid and Tony lived with that guilt for years. Less than a month after his nanny died Tony ended up in the hospital by Karma or as a realist would call it Brad Pitt breaking his leg in the Michigan game. Once he was released to out patient rehab he returned to his hospital streak. He remained out of the hospital for three years. Until the fateful day in Peoria that his squad car met with a tree. He thought he was OK but ended up rushed to the hospital after collapsing in the squad room. Turns out he had a concussion. That stay was not so bad. Because he was treated by the hot nurse every boy dreamed of and seven years later he was back in the hospital. Except this time Sofia was the patient and it was the happiest of circumstances. They had just welcomed Carson into the world. Unfortunately three years later Tony was being treated for the plague. Fast forward two years and another blessed event led to seven weeks as parents of a NICU baby. Fast forward another five years and Tony faced his greatest tragedy in the hospital. Ever since the day he held Sofia and Faith in his arms as they took their final breaths just hours apart. He hated hospitals more than ever. He had to fight to stay when Gavriella had her foot surgery and again when Carson had his tonsils out. Again today he was struggling but stayed because he knew that Ziva needed his support. He had a hard time feeling fear when the second strongest woman he had ever met sat crying and praying for her son to live.
"Is this the right decision? He is dying either way. Why put him through all this?" Ziva asked.
"Because deep down you know that both you and Juliana need these extra months to prepare for the inevitable. This will also give extra time to plan a funeral. I know it sounds bleak but I also know you want to give John the best. These extra few months may be as good for him as they are for you and Juliana." Tony explained.
"I will never be ready." Ziva admitted.
"I know but just know you are not alone." Tony assured.
For Ziva the wait seemed interminable. Every sound she heard and every time a frazzled doctor entered the room she was sure something had gone wrong. Tony was by her side but Juliana could not handle the stress and ended up going back to the house where she was staying. Seeing Juliana break and having to call her temporary guardians to come collect her was a great ordeal. It took three hours and Ziva struggled through every minute of the wait. She collapsed into Tony's arms when the surgeon. Finally arrived to tell her how the procedure had gone.
"John came through the procedure as well as to be expected. He will be in recovery for a while due to his risk of bleeding and will be in the ICU for at least two more weeks. He will remain in the hospital until he can be transitioned to a home ventilator and still he will need some time to make sure he is stable. During that time you and your daughter will be trained in caring for his new needs." Dr. Jones explained.
"What if he does not remain stable on the home vent? Or I cannot get the hang of caring for him properly?" Ziva asked.
"He will spend his final days in a care facility." Dr. Jones replied.
"I knew I made a mistake!" Ziva cried.
"He will do great on the vent and you will be great. I will learn too and that will take some pressure off." Tony vowed.
Three hours after the procedure Ziva and Tony were in John's hospital room. Juliana had returned to the hospital but ended up leaving to get her old iPod from the house. John was not waking up as quickly as the doctors had hoped and Juliana had hoped that one of the songs would keep him fighting the way it had when he was younger. Ziva was still a wreck and Tony had forced Carson to cook dinner so he could remain by her side. They shed tears and united in prayer. Tony prayed on the Rosary his grandmother had given him for his first communion and Ziva taught him the Hebrew prayer she had prayed over John from the day she learned his heart was defective. They were bonded and the words were not needed. It was far from a happy revelation of love but life was rarely like the movies. Unfortunately sometimes it was like a bad soap opera and that's how the day of John's surgery went. Tony was just leaving to grab dinner before the kitchen closed and to check in on the kids when Ziva received a call. She returned from the nurses station pale as a ghost mumbling to herself about giving up and again collapsing into Tony's arms.
"What's wrong? Is Juliana OK?" Tony asked.
"Juliana is fine. It's… It's my house!" Ziva cried.
"Your house? What happened?" Tony asked.
"We had a leak in the bathroom for months but we could never get it fixed. I tried but I just couldn't get it right and I couldn't afford repairs. Juliana went to get her iPod and the house was flooded. There's already mold everywhere. We have to wait for inspection but her friend's dad does repairs after water damage and he is sure it is a total loss. Even if it's not John can't be around the mold. We have to start over and I can't afford a new house. Not that can meet John's needs. The one I had could barely meet his needs and that would only be after a few serious renovations. Now I don't know what I am going to do." Ziva sobbed,
"Don't worry about it. We have a den we never use that would be perfect for John. It was supposed to be Gavriella's room but she insisted on sleeping upstairs. You can stay in the guest room and Juliana can share with Juliana." Tony explained.
"Oh I could never do that. I could never intrude on you." Ziva argued.
"It is not an intrusion. We were given an apartment after our house burned down and I am a strong believer in paying it forward." Tony insisted.
"I guess it's better than trying our luck with the shelter of a roadside motel until we can get back on our feet. Especially with John's health." Ziva mulled.
"We have the extra rooms for you and John and I am sure Gavriella would not mind sharing with Juliana." Tony assured.
"Actually I would prefer to sleep downstairs with John. He needed so much care before the tracheostomy. Daniel and I just knocked down the wall between our room and the walk in closet and made a room for him. Juliana can have the guest room." Ziva explained.
"Sounds good to me." Tony replied.
"Tony DiNozzo you are an angel. I wish that McGee and Abby could see this side of you. Instead of the twisted and perverted side they created. You saved my family and I will always love you for that." Ziva explained, tears freely falling from her eyes.
A/N: Tony's always looking out for Ziva. New chapter will be up soon. Please review and thanks for reading.
