I spent the day with a hall full of children ages 2 weeks to about four years old today for a fundraising thing for the paediatrics ward at the local hospital. They were all so adorable.
And, look at this, something happy! Can you believe it? No, neither can I. I am running on about three hours sleep and very little food, I have a cold, and I am the happiest I have been in a long time. It might have something to do with the fact that I am listening to the Evita soundtrack and having a nice evening of being curled up in thermal pyjamas and duvets.
LIX. For Every Minute You Are Angry, You Lose Sixty Seconds Of Happiness
Laughter erupted from room number 379 as Gibbs walked down the sterile corridor and he stopped, allowing himself to smile a little at the sounds he had missed hearing around the Navy Yard, or anywhere really. The team had been very thin on laughs lately. The agent stood outside the room caught Gibbs' eye and craned his neck to look through the glass. "Been like that all morning. Don't seem to stop laughing today."
"Everything else been quiet?"
"Silent. Only visitors over the past two days have been trusted doctors and nurses."
They had been having someone from their dysfunctional family visit every day when possible in the two months that Tony and Ziva had been under 'hospital arrest' as the senior field agent had dubbed their stay, until the week before when Abby found a sing orange daylily on the steps up to their brownstone. Ziva had paled when shown, shutting everyone but her children out for the rest of the day, long past visiting hours, after the sun had set and once the twins were fast asleep. She had curled up by Tony's side, burying her face into his shoulder and mumbling something about Malachi buying her orange daylilies when they were undercover together. When Tony phoned the next morning to explain, daily visits had gone out the window, everyone busy searching the flower for clues and tracing every daylily in DC. As of yet, nobody had made any progress, other than a few reasonably common fungal spores that Abby had found, with Jimmy and Ducky continuing to pour over the body of the hit man that failed. Gibbs nodded to the agent and stepped into the room, smiling at the family crowded onto one of the singles. Tony was propped up against the plump pillows, holding Ada with the utmost care and grinning all the while, as Ziva sat cross-legged facing him from the foot of the bed, with Ichabod lying on his back between them, surrounded by pillows. Doctor Wilson, the audiologist, stood by Tony, his old face crinkled into a smile at something Ziva had said, or Tony had done, or a face pulled by one of the infants. Whatever it was that had caused the warm aura of happiness in the small room that had become home to the family over the past months, Gibbs decided that he was perfectly happy not to know, so long as the joy lasted and the smiles did not fade.
Tony, sensing eyes on them, looked up. "Hey, Boss."
"DiNozzo. Mrs DiNozzo. Little DiNozzos." Gibbs nodded. "Doc."
"Have you found him?" Ziva's smile faltered slightly as he walked over to stand beside her, shaking his head slightly.
"But we will."
"You have been saying that for two months."
"And I will say it for the rest of my life if I have to, but I won't because we're gonna find him. McGee's traces are getting closer every day, and Abby's narrowing down the places that the fungus things are found, and the whole agency is working on it. Heck, the whole country has law enforcement all the way to the top of the top working on this case. We're getting closer every day." He took a breath, pausing after such a long speech and there was a silence that settled over the room, broken only by Ichabod's gurgles and coos.
"On a brighter note, Doctor Wilson's signing off on Ada's paperwork. We just need the paediatrician to sign off now and we're home free!" Tony grinned. "I can't wait to get out of this place. No offence, Doc, but I really think that it could do with some cheering up here. I mean, even Elsie's beautiful drawings are struggling under the immense pressure of such a task."
"Doctor Jeffries will be along shortly to give her a check up." Doctor Wilson nodded, smiling gently as he made his way to the door. "I'll leave you to it."
"That guy cracks me up. He tells stories to rival Ducky's."
"I dread to think what would happen if they were to be locked in a room together." Ziva chuckled, a hint of the joviality of moments beforehand returning.
"Do you think they're related?"
"Pssst. Gibbs." Abby hissed from where she was stood in the entrance to the parking structure of the hospital. "Over here."
"I can see you, Abs. You don't need to say 'over here'." He said, walking towards her. She had a large, thin cardboard box behind her back. "What is it?"
"Well, I went round to Tony and Ziva's to pick up their mail and feed Kate, and there was a slip there from the photographers saying that their wedding photo's were all ready for collection. I thought I would go and pick them up for them, and then you could hang it in their living room for them. Ziva told me when they chose them that Tony was going to hand it above their fireplace, but since he's not gonna be doing much of anything physical for a while, I thought maybe you could…" She shrugged and grinned, trailing off. "As a surprise, I mean. So when they get home, the album with them all in will be waiting on the coffee table and the big photo will be hanging up and it will save them a job. Please?"
Gibbs sighed, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, the answer would always be yes to Abby. Yes to Ziva, too, on most things, although he was certain some of her more questionable interrogation techniques would receive a no. "Well, since the Doc's thinking of discharging Ada later today, I better get on with it then."
"Yay! I knew you would say- wait, did you say Ada's being discharged today?!" Abby squealed, using all of her – admittedly meagre – self control to not let go of the photo.
"Possibly. Don't get your hopes up." He cautioned, yet he could not keep the hope from his own voice. "However, you might wanna clean the house up a bit – she's still gonna be susceptible to…stuff." He shrugged. "Sickness and bugs and stuff."
"Anything, Gibbs. Anything, I'll vacuum and I'll dust and I'll make all the beds and..."
"Good. Means you can get to work immediately." He pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"Abs!" Gibbs called and the sound of the vacuum cleaner halted and heavy footfalls on the stairs indicated the speed at which she was hurtling towards him. He turned to the door when she clattered through, out of breath. "They straight?"
"They're gorgeous." She gasped. And they were, the three photos in the triptych. There had been no formal photographs taken, merely candids and informal groups of people, holding glasses and slices of cake, after Ziva's insistence that she wanted people to look happy, not like statues. The first of the photos was one of white icing on Ziva's nose as she liberally applied a dollop of the sticky substance to Tony's cheek with her thumb, eyes full of laughter, surrounded by the team. The second of the images depicted only them in a dark room, foreheads pressed together, eyes shut, gently swaying to music – Abby assumed it had been taken when she and McGee had called it a night, leaving the couple alone. The final canvas had her and Tony in a secluded corner, one of her hands on his cheek and one playing with the short hair at the back of his head, one of his hands buried in her loose curls of hair and the hand closest to the camera splayed on her bump, their lips touching in a soft, gentle, intimate kiss.
"But are they straight?"
"Um…I think the end one needs shifting over slightly." Gibbs nodded and stood back again. "That's better. They're going to love it." She reached for the album that Gibbs had placed on the coffee table.
"Uh-uh, Abs. They should see it first." She looked about to protest when he shook his head. "No, Abs. Not this time. We got to see the canvases first, it is only fair. They are their wedding photos." He hand shrank back towards her and she nodded. "How's the cleaning going?"
"I've changed all of the bed sheets and vacuumed all of the carpets, and mopped the hardwoods and dusted all of the surfaces and removed any cobwebs." She grinned. "I think I'm all done." She beamed.
"They'll need the fridge stocking."
"Oh, right. Restock the fridge, then I'm done." He smiled as she ran out, clumsily pulling her platforms on and grabbing her coffin backpack, shutting the door rather heavily behind her.
"Thank you, Gibbs." Ziva smiled, standing at the threshold of the townhouse with her husband, Ichabod cradled in her arms, Ada in his.
"Any time." He nodded, kissing her forehead before kissing Ichabod, and then Ada's, foreheads too.
"What? No kiss for me, Boss?" Tony grinned.
"You want one, DiNozzo?"
"Nah, I'm good, thanks."
"Your loss." The older man smirked. "Go on. Go get some rest. The others will be round tomorrow, Abby wants to throw you a welcome home party."
"Well, we'll be waiting." Gibbs gave one final nod before turning on his heels and jogging down the brick steps to the path and over to the Charger he had borrowed from the NCIS parking garage. Ziva leant into Tony's side as they watched Gibbs drive off at a much faster speed than he had driven with the family in the car. He pressed his lips to the crown of her head as she closed the door with her foot.
"Welcome home, Babies." She whispered quietly as they both turned around and faced the hallway that they had not stood in since the morning before Tony was shot. Her son stared up at her, wide eyed in his pale blue babygrow and hat. Adabelle continued to sleep peacefully in Tony's arms, as she had since they had placed her in the car seat in the back of the car. "First things first, I think it is bath time, yes?"
"I think that is a very good plan." Tony grinned. "And then, once you're asleep, it's Ima and Daddy's bath time."
Ziva rolled her eyes and shook her head as they started heading upstairs. "Oh, you think so, do you?" She smirked.
"I do." He looked up at her innocently.
"Well, I think Daddy's painkillers might be getting to him." She struggled to keep the smirk out of her voice and was glad that she was walking in front of him so he could not see the grin that had spread across her face as she spoke to the child in her arms.
Ada's clear blue eyes opened with a start as Tony blew a raspberry on her belly, making her parents laugh as she wriggled. They were sat on the heated tile floor of the en suite, the small yellow baby bathtub in front of them and the twins wrapped in fluffy towels. "Tony, do you have your work camera?"
"It's in my bag. I'll go get it." He pecked her lips quickly before standing up and dashing out of the room, running back a moment later clutching the Nikon in his good hand. He sat back down beside her, turning the camera on and pointing it towards her as she pulled a face at their little boy. "We're gonna need to get a photo album for all the photos of you two. We are." He nodded as Ziva moved Ichabod so he was lying next to his sister. Tony attracted the attention of the boy my making funny noises whilst Ziva tapped their daughter's nose. He grinned at the image of the two fluffy bundles, one yellow and one mint green.
"We can ask Abby to print them tomorrow." Ziva said. "But now, it is time to get you two dressed. Shall we get you two dressed now? Yes?" They each took one child, Tony also slinging the camera over his good shoulder, and carried them through to the bedroom. They placed them in the centre of the bed and Ziva crawled over to sit with them as Tony took the threw her the slightly smaller of the two tiny vests and the white babygrow with the pastel rainbow stars, as well as a nappy, whilst he took the larger of the two vests and the blue babygrow with anchors and started dressing the larger of the two twins.
Ziva ran her index finger along her baby girl's cheek, smiling as the infant turned her face towards it, her eyes fluttering shut as she yawned. "Someone's sleepy." Tony said. "Bedtime?"
"I think so." Ziva nodded, carefully lifting Ada up, avoiding jostling her. "I love you, Baby." Her kiss was like a butterfly on the infant's cheek as she placed her in the bassinette. Tony mimicked the action in the bassinette next to her and they swapped over, each wishing their children good nights. It was a routine that they had established whilst in the hospital, and they saw no need to change it. "You may have your shower whilst I put the laundry on."
"You sure? I mean, I can do the laundry if you want."
"Do you know how to-"
"Of course I know how to do the washing, Ziva. I might be an idiot, but even an idiot can use the laundry."
"If you had not so rudely interrupted, you would know that I was going to ask if you knew how to turn the washer onto silent mode."
He paused, his mouth opening and closing silently as he tried to formulate an answer. "It has a silent mode?"
"And that is precisely why I shall do the laundry whilst you have your shower." She grinned, pressing her lips to his. As they kissed slowly, it felt like all of her energy and tension seeped out of her and she relaxed into his body, suddenly regretting suggesting doing the laundry and not wanting to leave his arms. She broke her lips away and sighed, nuzzling her face into his neck. "You smell of hospital."
"So do you." He chuckled, remorsefully unwinding her arms from his neck and slowly tugging his t-shirt over his head. She stood back, watching, and approving eye casting down his body. "Your turn." She looked down and rolled her eyes, yet obliging as she pulled her t-shirt off, discarding it in the pile on the ground between them. He unashamedly stared at her, simple white bra obstructing his full view.
As if reading his mind, she smirked. "Uh-uh. I removed my t-shirt, it is your turn now."
"What? But that's not fair, you have more clothes than me. Aw, c'mon Ziva. It's been so long since I've seen your body." He wined, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the children. She shook her head stubbornly and crossed her arms over his chest, making him whimper pathetically. He huffed and pushed his jogging bottoms to the ground.
She raised her eyebrows. "Commando, Tony?"
"I wish I'd never started this game now."
"I am certain." She chuckled, but removed her cargo pants.
As she stooped to pick up their dirty clothing he groaned. "You're not gonna remove your underwear, are you?" His pout was a sight to be seen and she could not help but snigger. She shook her head with a grin and walked over to the bathroom, picking up the twin's clothes that they had come home from the hospital in before picking the towels up from the bed as well, placing them in the laundry basket that sat by the door. Feeling her husband's eyes on her she paused at the doorway of the bedroom and placed the basket back on the floor, turning to face him. She unclasped her bra and shimmied out of her panties, almost bursting out with laughter at Tony's face. "Ziva." He growled as she bent to pick them up and place them in the hamper, which she then positioned on her hip and sauntered out of the bedroom, stark naked. He let out a shaky breath and ran a hand over his face. "Your Ima drives me crazy, you know that…"
I think that the more I write, the worse the writing gets…
I spent the afternoon with my dad going through all of the old photos of my brother and I when we were babies the other day, trying to find a specific one of me holding my brother when he was about two hours old. We did not find it, but there are still three boxes to go through (the joys of having a photographer as a parent). That is where the first half of the paragraph at the end came from. Just looking at old pictures.
