Rifiuto: Non Miriena
No one was really in the mood for dressing up in costumes and going about asking for candy on Halloween. With bombings, shootings and riots galore, Tim and Ziva chose to keep their children home, which was just fine with the three. After sending the trio to bed, Tim and Ziva settled on the sofa, a movie on to take their minds off the chaos they lived in; it was strange, that something as simple as a movie on TV could seem so normal to them at this point, but it was the best they could do without losing their minds. Tim pressed a kiss to his wife's head, playing with her fingers. "Sarah's baby should be here..." He brought her fingers to his lips. "I hope she's as beautiful as her mother," Ziva looked up at him, gently reaching up to brush her fingers against his cheek. "and that she never has to grow up like her cousins."
Gently, Ziva cradled his cheek. "She will have her mother's beauty and her uncle's loving heart."
At that moment, an explosion shook the house, and Asher and his siblings rushed downstairs; he threw his arms around Ziva and burrowed into her, shaking. She wrapped her arms around her oldest son, holding the boy close. "Shh, my angel, it's okay. We will be okay." Zipporah and Liron curled up on the sofa by their father, huddling into his embrace, just as frightened as their older brother. Tim pressed a kiss to each of his children's foreheads, holding them close as another explosion shook the house. After a moment, he turned the movie off and got up.
"Come on, let's go upstairs." He turned back to Jethro, who lay on the floor. "Come on, Jet, good boy!" The dog barked and rushed after his owners and their pups. Once in the bedroom, he climbed onto the bed, huddling with his humans. Zipporah pressed a kiss to the German Shepard's head, holding tight to him. He licked her face, trying to give as much comfort as he could.
"Your aunt and uncle were supposed to be here to meet you when you finally decide to arrive." She sniffled, gently caressing her belly. "But they can't get out of Ireland... there are bad things happening there, very bad things, but you must know that Uncle Tim and Aunt Ziva love you so very, very much. Do not ever think they don't. And they will be ecstatic when they finally get to meet you-"
She looked up, to find Damon watching her from his spot against the bedroom door jam. "I know, it's silly, but... but she needs to know, Damon. She needs to know how much Tim and Ziva love her, and how important she is to them, and that she is going to be one of the most important people in the world to them, and that they will always- always- have her back." She choked on a sob and Damon went to her, holding her against him. She broke down, shoulders shaking. "I want them here, Damon! They're supposed to be here to meet her after she's born! They promised!"
Damon pressed a kiss to her hair, holding her close. "I know, Sarah. I know, sweetheart. I want them here too."
She sighed; hands against her back. When she and Damon had talked about the birth, Sarah had told him that she'd always wanted a home birth, with her brother and sister-in-law there to support her. But thanks to Ireland and its decision to go absolutely asshat crazy during her pregnancy, her baby was going to come into this world without her aunt and uncle there to support her mother and welcome her into the world.
A moment passed, before she head into the bathroom to brush her teeth before bed. Her back was killing her, and she'd had slight pain running circles around her abdomen for the last several days; she'd laid down and slept on and off, but the pain hadn't faded, and Damon was getting worried. Honestly, Sarah really couldn't care less. She sighed, starting to brush, but she couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept going back to the fact that her brother and sister-in-law were stuck in Ireland-
She stopped, mid-brushing. She thought she'd heard a... a popping sound... Sarah shook her head, returning to brushing her teeth. It had all been in her mind-
And then she felt a gush of something come from between her thighs and run down her legs. She set the toothbrush down, leaning against the counter and taking a deep breath. "Oh..." She whimpered. "Oh, God... not now, sweetheart, please..." Her teeth slid into her bottom lip as what she know realized was a contraction gripped her, digging its painful nails into her abdomen and squeezing. A scream escaped her lips, and she grasped the counter so hard her knuckles turned white. "Damon! Damon!"
He rushed into the bathroom, stopping at the sight of his wife leaning against the counter. "Sarah, sweetie, what's wrong?" She looked up at him, swallowing thickly.
"Call Tali, Damon. Now!" He furrowed a brow, his gaze going from the water that had drenched her legs and thighs, not connecting the panic in her voice with the water on her legs. "Damon, are you brain-dead? My water broke! I'm in labor!" That seemed to get him moving again, and he helped her out of the bathroom and back towards the bed. When she was seated on the edge of the bed, Damon rushed off to call Tali. She took a deep breath, pushing her tank top up and gently caressing her belly. She'd read somewhere that rubbing her belly during contractions could help easy labor pains.
"Sarah?" She looked up, whimpering. Damon rushed to kneel in front of her. "Tali will be here soon. She said to make you as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Um... dim the lights, make sure you're comfortable..." Sarah reached over, covering his mouth.
"I got it, Damon." She choked out.
"Sarah?" The laboring young woman looked up as Tali rushed towards her. "Hey sweetie, how're you doing?" Sarah took a deep breath, giving her a weak smile. "Shall we see how everything's going, okay?" The younger woman nodded as Tali pulled on a pair of gloves and quickly checked her. "Um, Sarah, honey, you aren't going to be in labor much longer."
"What do you mean?" Tali bit her lip.
"The baby's crowning. She's gonna be here real soon." Sarah shook her head as Damon took her hand and held her close.
"No... no, Tali, I'm not ready! Timmy and Ziva aren't here! They promised they would be here!" Tali met her gaze.
"Sarah, Sarah look at me." After a moment, the girl did as told. "I know you wanted your brother here. I know how important it was for Tim and Ziva to be here, but they can't. They can't get out of Ireland. You have no choice, this baby isn't going to wait anymore."
Sarah choked on a sob. "I want my brother!"
Taking a deep breath, Tali removed her gloves and stood, taking the younger woman's face in her hands. "Sarah, listen to me. I know they promised they would try to be here for the birth of your baby, but there are forces beyond anyone's control that have prevented them from being here. But they are both so proud of you, and they cannot wait to meet your baby girl. You have no choice, okay, sweetie?" Slowly, Sarah nodded. Tali pressed a firm kiss to the woman's head. She put on a new pair of gloves and returned to check on her. "Okay, Sarah, her head's out. Let me just remove the chord from around her neck, and then I want you to push, okay?"
Sarah nodded, taking Damon's hands. He pressed a kiss to her head, holding her close. Seconds passed before Tali told her to push, and she did as told, letting her body take control. An hour into pushing, Sarah heard her daughter's healthy cry.