Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Ziva's injury is based on an injury a friend of mine suffered when she got in the middle of a fight between her brother and her crazy ex-boyfriend-stalker. They had to perform a hysterectomy otherwise she would have bled to death internally.

Thanks to Sazzita for reviewing 18 and 19; mcgeeksgirl and Fried-Chicken-Nisha for reviewing 20.

"No!"

Chaos filled the room. A gunshot rang out in the compound, and after several minutes, Gibbs rushed towards it, the others following.

Ziva grabbed for the knife as Deena moved to slit Adi's throat. The child was knocked to the ground between the two women, and there was a struggle; a shot rang out, slicing through Deena's head just as the tip of the knife sliced through Ziva's soft flesh. The other woman dropped to the ground, blood spraying as her brain splattered against the nearest wall. Both Adi and Ziva turned to Tim, who lowered his gun and stepped further into the room. With a soft smile, Ziva crumpled. Tim was by her side in minutes, catching her, his gun disgarded as he pulled his wife into his arms.

"Ima!" Adi crawled towards her parents, tears in her eyes as she looked down at Ziva. "Save her, do something, Abba!" She cried, but Tim just pressed his hand around the wound. He knew that to remove the knife would cause her to bleed out, to bleed out would kill her.

"Adinaleh! Hush!" He turned his green eyes back to Ziva, who reached up, brushing her fingers over his cheek. "Hang on, ahuvati. You hear me? Hang on."

"I... forgot... Deena..."

"Shh. Just hush, Zi. You'll be okay. I promise."

This was the scene that Gibbs and the others walked into. Tony rushed to Adi, untieing her hands and feet and carrying her from the room. "Abba! Ima!"

"They'll be okay, Adi-girl. We need to get you out of here." He carried the child from the compound, shielding her face from the carnage. Gibbs sent Fornell out to call for help, and as the ambulance eventually arrived, he turned back to Tim and Ziva.

"Ani..." Tim shook his head.

"No, Ziva. No goodbyes. You're gonna make it, you hear. You're gonna make it; we're gonna make more babies- beautiful babies and we're going to raise them and teach them twelve different languages and take them to the opera and-" She laid a finger against his lips, silencing him.

"Tim-"

"I made you a promise. You are not dieing alone. I won't let you; I won't allow it. You hear me? You're strong, stubborn... just like our daughter-" Her eyes closed as the ambulance arrived.

An arm tightened around her waist, being careful of the stiches. Her eyes slowly opened, and she found herself in the main hospital in Tel Aviv; Gibbs was seated in the chair beside her bed. She slowly lifted her head, turning to find Tim sound asleep beside her. The doctors and nurses must have allowed him to stay, she'd obviously slept in his arms, his chest as a pillow. "Where is Adi?" She asked softly, turning to Gibbs. The older man sipped his coffee, watching her.

"She's okay. Tony's keeping her entertained. Had a broken wrist and several scars and burns, but she'll be okay. She's a strong girl, like her Ima." Ziva swallowed, laying her head back on the pillow. Slowly, she reached down, taking Tim's hand.

"I don't..."

"We got there not long after you and the others did. Lost six agents- three FBI and three Mossad in the struggle. Deena's dead- Tim's a good shot. He obviously learned from the best." Ziva smiled softly, laying her head back down against Tim's chest. He sighed in his sleep and shifted closer to her, squeezing her hand.

"What did the doctor say?" She asked. Gibbs took another swallow of his coffee.

"Not for me to say." He replied. Then, he got up, going to her. "But you need to hold onto Tim and Adi. You'll need them more than ever now." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, as her eyes closed instinctively. "Remember who your family is." When she opened her eyes, he was gone.

Slowly, she turned, to see Tim's green eyes slowly opening. He shifted, blinking the sleep from his eyes. She tried to shift to her other side to face him, but the pain in her lower abdomen was too much, and she ended up on her back. "Good mor-" Her mouth on his cut him off, and she reached up, gently cradling his neck. When they broke away, she nudged her nose against his, whispering a gentle good morning in response.

"You stayed with me? And they allowed it?" He shrugged, kissing her softly.

"It pays to be an Ambassador for the U.N. at times." He sat up, moving to the edge of the bed and stretching. Ziva let her gaze drink in the rippling muscles of his back, and gently, she reached up, brushing her hand over his back. He turned back to look at her, getting up. "I'm going to get coffee, would you like some?" She nodded. "Okay. I'll be right back." He helped her sit up before leaving, and once he was gone, she ran her hands down her stomach. As she got closer to her thighs, the dull, throbbing pain go more intense, and slowly, she lifted the edge of the hospital gown.

"Ziva." Quickly, she dropped it back down, settling back and turning to see Rivka enter.

"Ima." Her mother came to her, taking a seat beside her on the bed and taking her hand. "How long have you been here?" Rivka shrugged.

"Been here off and on. Tim has stayed by your side since you got here. How are you feeling, katan?" Ziva sighed.

"Like I was hit by a train." At her mother's confused look, she clarified. "It is an American expression, Ima." Rivka nodded, her gaze going to the door at the sound of voices. Tim entered with the doctor, three cups of coffee in his hands. He held one out to Rivka with a smile.

"I thought you might be here." He said, pressing a soft kiss to his mother-in-law's cheek.

"Toda, Timothy." Rivka whispered. He nodded, handing Ziva a small cup of coffee. He turned to the doctor.

"You said you had something to tell us." The man nodded, taking a deep breath.

"When you were stabbed, Mrs. McGee, the knife blade broke off; it became embedded in your lower abdomen, and when it was twisted during the struggle, it sliced through one of your ovaries."

"What does that mean?" Ziva asked, glancing at Tim. The doctor sighed, going to her. Rivka stood, going to Ziva's other side and taking her hand.

"It means, that not only were you bleeding externally, but internally, and if we hadn't performed surgery on you when we did, you would have internally bled to death. The only option we had to save your life was..." He swallowed, seeing the fear in her eyes. "To perform a hysterectomy. I'm sorry, Mrs. McGee."

Ziva swallowed the fear in her voice, not fully understanding. "I... I'm sorry, what did you say?"