Tony yelped as Ziva crushed his hand with her grip.
"Loosen the grip, Ziva, loosen the grip."
Ziva kept her eyes tightly shut as the contraction rippled through her and ignored what Tony said. The intense pain prevented her from being able to speak.
It was five o'clock in the morning, and Ziva had only gone into active labour an hour before. Tony was already suffering from the effects it had on her.
Gibbs, Abby and McGee watched as Tony's eyes dropped as soon as Ziva's contraction finished. Ziva put her head back against the pillow and started napping. Gibbs sighed.
"Tony looks exhausted," Abby said. McGee nodded.
"Someone should take his place whilst he sleeps," he added. "I'm not saying that's gonna be me, though."
"I'll do it," Gibbs said. Abby and McGee watched in shock as he tapped Tony's shoulder. Tony's eyes opened immediately, and he looked up at his boss.
"Oh, hey boss."
Gibbs mentioned for him to stand up. He pointed over at Abby and McGee. "Go over there. You're more likely to get rest there than here."
"But what about Ziva?"
"I'll do it."
Tony stared at him, gobsmacked, for a few seconds before obeying his command. Gibbs gave him a hint of a smile before sitting in his place and taking Ziva's hand in his. He watched her for a few seconds before turning to look at the rest of the room. Everyone was asleep – including Abby. People were either lying on the floor, sitting on chairs or sleeping with their backs against the wall. After observing the room, he turned back to Ziva, who seemed to be dozing softly. He continued to watch for a few minutes before her eyes suddenly flashed open and she started squeezing his hand tightly. Gibbs rubbed the back of her hand soothingly with his thumb, calming her down slowly during the contraction. As soon as the contraction finished, she looked up and noticed his blue eyes staring into her brown ones.
"Where is Tony?" she asked. Gibbs pointed at the corner where Tony was, tucked up with coats and an old blanket, sleeping soundly. Ziva smiled.
"I am the one having the child, and he is tired?" She chuckled. "Sometimes I wonder…"
Gibbs smiled. "Same here, David."
Ziva smiled at him. "I wonder when he will wake up…"
"He'll wake up when he's ready, Ziva. Just let him sleep." Gibbs had an idea. "In fact, maybe you should sleep – you'll need to save your energy for later."
"I am not tired, Gibbs. After waking up to a contraction, I do not think I want to go through it again." She pouted at Gibbs. "I think it has put me in a bad mood."
"Don't most people do that to you, Ziva?"
"Yes, but that is not what I'm saying –"
"Sleep, Ziva."
"No." Ziva winced as she sat up. Gibbs gave her a concerned look.
"Back pain?" he asked. Ziva nodded. She sighed as she stretched.
"Maybe it is about time I asked for that birthing ball…" She slowly got off the bed and started wadding towards the door. As she reached the foot of the bed she groaned and doubled over in pain. Gibbs immediately got up and supported her through the contraction. Abby woke up when she heard the groan and ran over to them.
"What's happened?" she asked anxiously.
"Just a contraction, Abs," Gibbs reassured her. "Just go and ask Matt for a birthing ball. Ziva said she wants one."
Abby nodded and ran off to get him. Gibbs helped Ziva get back onto the bed and got her to lie down and relax.
"Abby's gone to get the ball, so just relax."
Ziva nodded as she took deep breaths to calm herself down. "Just get her to come back soon – I'm in pain, Gibbs."
Tony woke to the sound of crying and groaning coming from the other side of the room. His eyes settled on Ziva's crying body, and Gibbs looked like he was massaging her back and rubbing it gently. Abby and Maria were sitting on the bed, timing the length of the contractions. McGee and Ducky were instructing her to breathe and keep calm. He got up and painfully walked over to where she leaned on the birthing ball and joined Gibbs as he massaged her back. Ziva took a few deep breaths before talking again.
"I hate you Tony. This is all your damn fault – you and your stupid early birthday present for a holiday in Paris. If you hadn't got me drunk that night, I wouldn't be in this damn mess."
Tony was about to retort when Gibbs glared at him. He bit his lip to stop himself from saying something he didn't want to end up regretting. "I'm sorry, Ziva."
"You'd better be, you selfish son of a bitch. Your mother had to be out of her mind to have you."
"Hey! Don't bring my mom into this!"
"I can bring your mother into this all I want, you bastard! She gave birth to you!"
"You can blame my dad for the Y chromosome, then."
"Don't worry, I've already cursed him in as many languages as possible." She cried out in pain as another contraction hit her. Tony looked up at Abby.
"Dr Hudson says she's in the transition phase – she'll be in a lot of pain until she reaches 10 cm," she explained. "And that was about fifteen minutes ago."
Tony nodded and took Ziva's hand, sitting beside her and rubbing her back soothingly. Ziva took this as a chance to get him to feel the pain she was in – she crushed his hand in her grip. Tony yelled in pain, but was unable to get her to release her grip. McGee and Maria smiled. Tony glared at Maria.
"Cancellati quel sorriso dalla faccia, stronzetta" (Wipe that smile off your face, you little bitch!)" he shouted. Maria frowned at him.
"Mi dispiace brontolone. Vista da qui sembra divertente". (Sorry, grouchy. It seemed funny from here.)"
Tony growled at her before Ziva caught his attention again by squeezing his hand. Tony cried out in pain as Matt entered the room. He chuckled.
"How is my favourite patient doing, then?" he asked cheerfully. Tony and Ziva both glared at him.
"That cheerful tone better be gone next time you speak Matt, or you may become infertile," Ziva snarled. "And I'll make sure the way I do it is painful."
Matt stared at her in horror before speaking again. "I'll need to give you a check-up before I can confirm exactly how far along you are, Miss David." After giving Ziva a check-up, Matt gave her a reassuring smile.
"You're 9 cm dilated, so you'll be pushing pretty soon." He patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"Ok," Ziva gasped. "I just don't want to give birth in this position. Help me get onto the bed."
Tony helped Ziva get up and lifted her onto the bed. He stroked her hair gently as she took deep breaths.
"We're nearly there, Ziva," he whispered. "We're nearly there."