"I know."

"Why are you here?"

"Because I've never been so scared in my entire life."

"Of what?"

"The whole time I was in that operating room, with you I don't think that I breathed. I held my breath, until I saw him. I was so scared that something would be wrong. I have never been so relieved to hear someone cry, in my entire life."

"Now you know how I feel."

"And I was scared that you wouldn't wake up. That everything would go wrong, and I would be on my own, with a baby. I don't know how to take care of a baby. I have no idea how to raise him, on my own. I mean they gave you four units of blood. I would have tapped myself, but we're not the same blood type."

"Why are you here? You shouldn't be here. You're the one who doesn't want this."

"Because I'm not going anywhere else. This is where I need to be."

"You said that you didn't want this. You can't just change your mind now."

"I didn't change my mind, I lied."

"You lied?"

"I was scared."

"You expect me to believe that it was a lie?"

"It doesn't matter if you do, or not. I just know that I'm not going anywhere. I'm never going to leave him. I am always going to be there for him."

"Why the change of heart?"

"I may say, and do a lot of dumb things."

"I will not argue with that."

"He's my son. I thought that I could let you do this, but I can't."

"Let me do this?"

"No."

"No? You can't keep me out of his life."

"Yes I can," she argues,

"You're going to make me fight you? To see my own son?"

"A son that you don't even want."

"I want him."

"I don't believe you. I don't know if I can ever believe you, again."

"Ziva, please. I need..." he trails off.

"You need what?"

"I need you to forgive me."

"Why should I?"

"Because I hate this. I can't stand it. I hate that you're mad at me. I hate that I screwed everything up. I need you to forgive me. I need you to say that you believe me. I..."

"I want you to leave."

"Leave?"

"I don't want you here, anymore. I don't want to see you, anymore. I can't do this anymore. I won't do this. I want you gone. I want you to leave, and I never want to see you again."

"Ziva, please don't do this," he begs.

"Go," she insists on the verge of tears.

The door opens, and Gibbs steps into the room. He steps between them. He doesn't even look at DiNozzo. He looks at Ziva. He touches her arm. He begins speaking, softly, "Ziva I know how upset you are. I know how angry you are with him, and you have every right to be. Don't make this worse than it has to be. I don't think you should keep him from his son, but if you decide that, it's your choice. Even if you don't want him in either of your lives, you do, at the very least, need to hear him out."

"He doesn't deserve it," she argues.

"No, he doesn't, but he has something to say to you, that you need to hear."

"I..."

"Why don't I take the little guy back to the nursery, for a while?"

"I..." she begins to argue, but changes her mind, "Ok," she loosens her grip on the baby. He takes the baby, and returns him to his basinet. He wheels him towards the door. He pushes him out the door, down the hallway, towards the nursery.

"Ziva I'm sorry."

"That's it? That's what you have to say to me?"

"No, that's just the beginning."

"I am sorry. I did some really stupid things, I said some really stupid things."

"I know."

"I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"Being sorry isn't going to make me change my mind, it isn't going to make me believe you."

"Ziva. There is something I need you to know."

"What?"

"I was scared to death I was going to lose you, in there."

"You said that."

"I told you I was afraid to have to raise him on my own. It's more than that, though. I didn't want anything to happen to him, but I hadn't met him yet. I could live without him, I can't live without you. Now that he's here I know I couldn't live without him, either, but..."

"What are you saying?"

"I need you. If I lost you, I would be completely lost. I would be useless. I was afraid of stepping up to the plate, because... I can't be that close to you, not if I can't have you."

"What?" she furrows her brow.

"I need you."

"I know that you need me in your life."

"No. I need you, because you are my life."

"I think that you need to go home, and get some sleep, you don't know what you're saying."

"Yes I do. I'm saying that I love you."

She doesn't say anything.

"And not because you're the mother of my child, even though that would be enough. I love you, just because."

"No you don't."

"I wasn't there for you, when you needed me. When I was the only one that you wanted, I wasn't there. I know I can never make up for that, but I am sorry. I am so sorry for it. I was a blithering idiot. I should have been there."

"So what stopped you?"

"I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"That you expected me to be the father of your child, and nothing else."

"I..."

"I want more. I want to be more, than the father of your child. I want to be more than your partner. It took me a long time to realize that. It took me even longer to be able to say anything about it. I made a terrible mistake, and I will understand if you can't forgive me, but you should still know how I feel about you."