I have three possibilities of the way I can take this in reference to Ada's hearing. Either her hearing will be fine, she will have cochlear implants, or she will not. I want, no that is the wrong word, I would never wish it upon anyone, but I had planned for it to be the last of the choices, because I wanted to see how they would deal with this development.

You are all going to be experts on Roman numerals by the time this is over. I can guarantee it. I actually have no idea why I numbered the chapters in Roman numerals, I just did.

LIII. Kindness Is A Language Which The Deaf Can Hear And The Blind Can See.

"Ziva, you've just had a C-section. I really think you should be sitting down." Abby said as she bit her lip, watching Ziva carefully play with Ichabod's hand.

"Abby, it was a week ago. I am fine."

"Tony won't be happy if he sees you out of bed."

"Tony is asleep. He will not see me." She pouted defiantly, watching her two children.

"Do you know how long you'll all be in here?"

"I am being discharged today. Tony should be discharged in a week. The twins – Ichabod will be discharged before Ada. They said that he is much stronger than she is. We do not know when that will be though. Dr Green said it could be a week or two, depending upon how well they develop."

"You're all gonna be okay. Have you heard any more on Ada's hearing?"

"The paediatric audiologist should be here soon. He has tested her hearing every day since she was born and seen no improvement. He says that this, too, can be normal, but he always looks more and more worried every time he checks on her." She sniffed and shook her head. "I do not know why I am crying, it is very unlike me."

"You're crying because you're concerned about your baby." The scientist wasn't a fool. She wasn't going to bring up any of the times she had seen Ziva cry during the pregnancy. She valued her life. "They are both beautiful babies."

"Yes, they are. Who won the sweepstake then?"

"Well," she pulled out an envelope and handed it to Ziva, "that's what Gibbs guessed. Before the ultrasound." Ziva frowned but slid the slip of paper out anyway.

Angels. On the other side it read: Girl, Boy.

"How did he know?"

"I think he's psychic!"

"He's Gibbs. He knows things. What is it he knows?" Tony asked from where he was lying in bed.

"He knew I was having a girl and a boy."

"He's Gibbs." Tony said, as if it explained everything. It did not.

"But he knew I was expecting twins before we knew I was expecting twins. It makes no sense."

"I don't know, Sweetcheeks. I gave up long ago trying to figure out how he does it." There was a knock on the door and a doctor in a white coat came in. "Hey Doc. How are you feeling today?"

"That's my question." Dr Thompson chuckled slightly as he walked over to Tony's bedside. He was maybe in his mid thirties and had a small, private smile.

"Well, I'm doing just fine. Would like to be out of this bed, and I would be doing better if I hadn't been shot, but other than that I'm just peachy."

"I want to decrease your morphine again today."

"And I want to go home today. Did nobody ever tell you that 'I wants don't get'?"

"Tony!" Ziva admonished, shaking her head at her husband's sarcasm.

"Y'know, if we held someone this long against their will and they were innocent, we would be in a lot of trouble."

"That might have something to do with the fact that you are not innocent." Ziva sniggered, walking over and pressing her lips to his softly.

"There is that." He nodded. "So Doc, when can I start moving about again?"

"A couple more days. It might actually do you some good to get some fresh air." He smiled sympathetically at Tony's grumpy expression. "How are the two little angels doing?"

"Ada is still not responding to sounds." Ziva stated quietly, looking at her daughter. "Ichabod is doing well."

"You know, your family has caused quite a stir in this hospital. We have nurses and doctors from every ward and department enquiring after you all. What with Tony's escapades and the twins being, apparently, the 'most endearing children to be born at this hospital in the past five years', well, even with patient confidentiality, word gets around. You're practically famous." He chuckled as Ziva blushed and Tony beamed. "Yes, I must say your children are quite a hit with some of the female nurses in particular. It's only natural with such gorgeous infants, but still…" He started checking Tony's wound, along with his charts.

"Well, they have two very good looking parents." Tony boasted. "But they exceed both of us in looks. By far the most beautiful children I have ever seen."

"I would apologise for my husband, but..."

"Apologies are a sign of weakness." Abby and Tony chorused, grinning, causing the doctor to laugh and shake his head.

"Why apologise anyway. It's a parent's prerogative to be proud of their children."

"See, Zee-vah. It's our prerogative."

"No need to sound so smug, Tony. You copied that big word off the doctor." Abby said, perching on the end of Ziva's empty bed. Tony stuck his tongue out in childish response before turning to the doctor.

"So, Doc. What's the verdict?"

"You're healing well. A couple more days and you should be good to go, so long as your arm stays in that sling. Between three to six months, depending upon how well you rest it. Though with these two, I do not know how much rest it will be getting." He chuckled, moving over to the isolettes and admiring each of the infants. "And how are you doing, Ziva?"

"I am very well, thank you."

"I'm sure you're going to both be staying here until your children are discharged, yes?"

"What do you think, Doctor Thompson?" She smiled, her eyes not leaving her daughter's face as her hand was sat securely on Ada's head, over the soft pink hat.

"I think that you two are going to be very good parent's indeed." There was another knock on the door and he looked up, smiling when another white lab coat walked in. He bowed his head and ducked out, with one final comment reminding Tony to rest.

After the myriad of doctors, nurses and orderlies that had been flowing through the room, each with a different job and purpose, it was becoming harder to remember who did what. But the new parents both knew the face of the audiologist, had the laughter-lines committed to memory. His face in old age had become a relief map of scars and wrinkles and blemishes, each one telling a story and laying out the tale of his life, a path to be followed through mountains and valleys with carefully told memories and well remembered pasts. Another person, unknown, followed him, a young woman in pale purple scrubs.

"Ziva, Tony, how are you today?" There were hints of an accent, faded with time and weathering, but still traceable, hidden under many years of working with American people and using American words.

"As well as our current predicament allows."

"This is Charlotte. She's a med student, and was hoping to observe. Is that alright with you?"

Tony looked to Ziva for confirmation before nodding. "Fine."

"Alright then. We will just take a look at Adabelle and Ichabod's ears, check their responses, the usual routine." He smiled, waiting for Ziva's subtle nod of permission before advancing closer towards her offspring. There was a silent understanding between the two, the warrior and the doctor. From the first time they had met, they had both seen the heaviness in one another's eyes, the heaviness of things too large for comprehension and too tragic for explanation. It was the heaviness of pain and loss, of seeing friends die on the battlefields and of never hearing from family members again. It was a mutual respect. He would wait for her permission and she would listen patiently, unlike with other doctors, to whom she had proved to be difficult and rebellious, over protective of her children around them and overprotective of her husband too. But with the audiologist, Dr Wilson, there was a quiet trust in the old man. "Have you noticed Adabelle responding to any external noises? To either of you speaking, or to any loud noises that might have been heard? Maybe something that woke Ichabod up, also woke Adabelle up?"

Ziva bit her lip and looked down, shaking her head. Her voice was quiet when she spoke. "No."

"Okay. Not to worry. This could still just be caused by fluid build up in her ear canals."

"Is that what you really think it is, Doctor, or is that what you have to say until you are certain?"

Doctor Wilson smiled sympathetically. "Have hope. I have known cases of infants displaying no signs of hearing for a week, two weeks even, and then the fluid drains and they go on to have perfectly normal hearing." He started the AABR screening, a process that Tony and Ziva had become familiar with over the week. They knew the routine; sit quietly for 15 minutes, wait patiently. Ziva sat on the edge of Tony's bed, grasping his hand tightly in her own and staring at the two bassinettes, the doctor working studiously over them. Abby stayed sat cross-legged on the empty bed, watching the family – her family – as they waited for, dreaded, results that might be revealed.


Gibbs knocked quietly on the glass door before slipping in with Mina in his arms and Elsie by his side. Tony and Ziva lay curled together on his hospital bed, the tubes and cables of Tony's drip tangled around them as they each emitted gentle snores, whilst Abby sat reading through a pile of pamphlets and the twins slept, silent other than the occasional coo or whimper.

"Hey." Said Abby quietly as she looked up, her eyes tired.

"Hi." Gibbs kept his voice to the same level as Abby had. "How are they doing?"

"Still no improvement in Ada's hearing. It is not looking good." She sighed, looking over to the couple, ensnared by the tubes that secured Tony to his IV.

"What you doing?"

"Just reading. Research about cochlear implants and hearing aids and that. There's so much here, Gibbs. So many pros and cons to all of the avenues. I mean," She yawned, rubbing her eyes. The poor lighting in the hospital room had been doing nothing to ease the load, "I'm a scientist, and even I'm struggling to make head nor tail of this. I don't know how new parents, new parents who are distressed by the idea that their little baby might be have hearing-loss no less, are able to understand this and make the right decision with it."

"How long have you been going at it?" The boss-man took a seat next to her, nodding to Elsie as she hesitantly made her way over to the bassinettes. "Remember what we said, no touching unless Ziva says you can." The little girl nodded, standing on tip-toes so she could peer into the clear encasements that held the two infants.

"Since the audiologist left about three hours ago. I feel like I'm going round in circles."

Gibbs paused. "If Ada was your little girl, what would you do?"

"Well, the benefits of having a…"

"I didn't ask for the benefits, Abs, I asked for the opinion of the woman who grew up with deaf parents, who knows what it is like, knows what they struggled with, how they felt." He placed a hand on her knee, clad with a long, white sock.

Abby took Mina, bouncing her slightly in her arms as she considered his question, her brow creased. "Personally, I would let nature run its course. My parents were happy the way they were, they liked their lifestyle, and I liked growing up with them like that. Yes, there were days when I wanted normal parents, parents who could hear me when I was in school performances, and parents that other kids understood, but really, I couldn't imagine it any other way than it was." She sighed. "I would let Ada decide, when she was older, what she wanted to do, whether she wanted cochlea implants."

"That what you'd really do, Abby?" Neither Gibbs nor Abby had noticed the snoring stop, and they both turned to stare at Tony and Ziva, whose eyes were fixed on Abby.

"I, I…" She shook her head. "It is not…cochlea implants, if suitable, work best when used as early on as possible, as does every treatment, but I…" She hesitated. "I just… This is your decision, it is none of my…"

"Abby, you said it should be Adabelle's decision."

"Yeah, but I was just, I mean, you are her parents, and it is up to you and she would probably be grateful to have cochlea implants, so I just…"

"Boss, what do you think?" Tony asked, cutting Abby off.

"Ada will love you what ever happens, and you will love her."

The parents were silent for a moment, small smiles on their faces. "Thank you, Gibbs."

"Ziva, why can't we hold the babies?"

"Because they're real delicate." Tony supplied for Ziva, who was staring at the infants from where she lay in his arms, zoned out and focused on her children – every slight movement and every sound made. He rubbed her arm with his good arm and kissed the top of her head. "You okay?"

"Mhmm." She nodded. "I am just thinking."

"About Ada?"

"Is it selfish to want her to be able to hear us?"

"No, it's not selfish. It's natural." Gibbs said. "It's your decision, a decision that might not need to be made."

Ziva sat up, extending her arms for Elsie to climb up onto the bed and curl into her side. "You have had a haircut."

"Mmhm." She tugged at the strands, shaking her head and laughing. "The lady did not do it short enough."

"Well how short do you want it to go, Sweetheart?" Ziva chuckled quietly, ignoring the other adults as they continued to discuss Ada's future.

"Really, really short."

"If it goes much shorter you will have no hair left."

"What if I want no hair?"

"Then that is your decision. It is your hair, I cannot tell you what you want." She ruffled Elsie's hair. "But I like you just the way you are. You and your hair."

"Can I see the babies, Ziva?"

"Of course you can." She picked the child up, being careful as Tony, Gibbs and Abby all cautioned, and carried her over to the bassinettes. "This is Ichabod." She smiled, pride – and tears – glistening in her eyes. "And this is Adabelle."

"Why are they in boxes? Mina wasn't in a box when she was a baby." The little girl's face was a picture of puzzlement as she looked between the cribs, then over to her sister, sat on the bed with Abby and Gibbs, to Ziva and then back to the infants.

"They are keeping them warm."

"Wasn't it warm enough in your tummy?"

"There was not room in my tummy. They got too big."

"But they are tiny, Ziva? How could they not fit when your tummy was so big?"

Ziva opened her mouth in offence. "Are you saying I was fat?" She broke into a grin, laughing as Elsie tried to think of something to say. "It is okay, I was joking."

"Yeah, I wish she was joking when I said that." Tony grumbled from the bed, winking at Elsie and making her laugh.

"It is simply because I love Elsie more."

"Oh, it is now, is it? Well, in that case I will just have to leave then. Oh, well…" He sighed dramatically and started standing up.

"Tony, stop being such a drama queen."

"I am not a drama queen." Tony objected.

"Want a bet, DiNozzo?"

"No, Boss. Of course not." He looked to Gibbs.

"Face it, DiNozzo, the children will always come first." He pouted, so Ziva walked over to him, placing Elsie on the floor and perching on the edge of the bed, leaning over him. "But you are a very close second." She pressed her lips to his, letting them linger slightly longer than Gibbs felt comfortable with. He coughed and they broke apart, smirking at their boss. "I love you."

"Oh, good, 'cause I love you, too."