When Jethro arrived home it was 5pm, he had made sure to leave at a reasonable hour in order to get home to see his daughter as she had been discharged from the hospital that day. The house was quiet when he entered and as he walked further into the house he noticed the red of the back of his wife's head just above the back of the sofa. He smiled as he stepped closer to her, "Hey, Jen", he said softly so that he would not make her jump.
"Hello Jethro", she said quietly in response with a smile as she turned slightly to look at him.
As he came around the side of the sofa he noticed his daughter lying on the sofa with her head in Jen's lap and a soft blanket covering the majority of her body. She looked so small and innocent as she lay curled up on the sofa using his wife's lap as a pillow.
Jen was gently running her hand through her goddaughter's dark, curly hair as the child slept peacefully, "She was exhausted", the woman revealed, "The pain killers that they gave her are making her rather tired at the moment".
Gibbs nodded as he watched his daughter for a moment, he was in awe of her as he had never thought that he would have another child. He had previously had fertility issues which was why Shannon had used IVF in order to conceive Kelly, especially as they were both having issues. He had been shocked to discover that he had a daughter but seeing photos then seeing her, he found himself already loving the young girl. The only thing was that he wished he had been able to know about her much sooner and to have been able to be a part of her upbringing but he knew that Ziva also wished she had been able to care for her from infancy.
"Jethro", Ziva called out softly as she stepped closer to his desk, "I… I need to talk to you".
Gibbs knew that it was something serious because usually she only called him 'Gibbs' when they were at work, although he had not been called 'Jethro' for a long time by the Israeli woman. The silver-haired man nodded and stood up from his desk straight away before making his way towards the meeting room rather than the elevator. He decided that it was most likely not a conversation that should be had in an elevator despite how often he used it as his own personal meeting room or office.
He knew that Ziva had been called to Jen's office before going to leaving the building with Jen but he did not know much more than that. The last time he had seen Ziva was the day before where the woman was walking towards the elevator with his wife who had her hand on the Israeli woman's lower back in a supportive motion. Jen had not come home that night but she had called him to let him know that she was staying with Ziva for the night at the hospital and that the younger woman would be going to see him the following day to explain everything. Jethro had not pushed for an immediate explanation but instead opted to trust his wife.
"I…", Ziva started to talk but froze, despite spending the journey there working out what she would say to her ex-lover, she was suddenly mind-blank and the words simply would not form in her mind for her to be able to speak.
Gibbs pulled out a chair for her, "Zee", he said softly going back to what he used to call her, "Sit down".
Ziva nodded and did as he had said, some may have interpreted what he had said as an order but the softness in his tone and in his facial expressions showed that he was, in actual fact, rather worried.
"Hey", he said softly, attempting to reassure her, "Whatever it is… it's going to be okay, Zee".
The dark-haired woman nodded, "I know… it's just…", she paused for a moment before continuing, "I never thought that I would be able to have this conversation and I am finding myself a little unprepared".
Gibbs nodded and waited patiently for Ziva to continue talking and to hopefully explain what was going on to him.
"After you left Israel, when you returned to the US, I wanted so much to go after you", she revealed, "But… I knew that you had to get back to Shannon… back to your wife and your life here so I didn't". "Around two months after you left I became ill", Ziva said softly.
Suddenly, Jethro had a feeling that he knew part of where the story might be going.
"At first I was in denial but eventually I did a pregnancy test and then the Doctor confirmed that I was pregnant", Ziva admitted as she kept her eyes focused on the table in front of her, "I kept it a secret because I was worried about what my father would say or do about it". "I knew that he would not approve of the pregnancy", she stated with a shake of her head, "For me to be unmarried and to have a child with a married man would have simply not been allowed". "But I loved her", she whispered before looking up into the blue eyes of her ex-lover, "I loved her from the moment that the pregnancy test confirmed she was there, maybe even before then". "I know I should have told you back then about her", she continued, "I wanted to but… I just… did not know what to do". "I'm so sorry, Jethro", Ziva whispered as she looked at him, "I am so sorry for not telling you before".
"Why are you telling me now Zee?", Jethro asked her patiently, "Why after all of this time? What's going on?".
"I… am getting there", she states softly although stumbling a little as she said that.
Jethro simply nodded in response.
"When she was born I had medical complications and so I couldn't hold her straight away", Ziva continued, "When I woke up I was told that she had been stillborn… my… our beautiful baby girl". Tears filled the woman's eyes as she spoke, "Before I had passed out I thought I had heard her cry but then waking up I was handed what I was told was my baby… a beautiful little girl wrapped in a soft pink blanket", she said quietly before pausing, "But her eyes were closed and she was gone". "I remember just cradling her to my chest and begging her to breathe", Ziva revealed, "But I knew she would not ever do that".
"Didn't you ever question it?", Gibbs asked her.
Ziva nodded, "I asked my father about the cries but he said that there was no such noise at all", she said softly, "I had no reason at the time not to believe my father but I wish now that I had pushed more for a better answer".
"Then?", he prompted when she had been silent for an elongated moment.
"Then I had to bury what I thought was our child", the Israeli woman revealed, "It was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do".
The pain of burying a child was something that Gibbs knew and understood clearly.
"When I recovered from being ill I went back to work and tried to carry on as normal but I felt like I was seeing her everywhere", Ziva admitted, "It was like everything made me think of her and made me want her with me". "I thought that I had seen her at Thalia's funeral", she revealed, "There was this beautiful little girl who looked so much like you… those bright blue eyes were just looking right at me but I got distracted and when I looked back she was gone… so quickly".
Ziva took a deep breath before she continued, "By the time that I joined NCIS I had come to terms with losing her, with the idea that she was gone", she said as she brushed a few tears from her tanned cheeks, "But yesterday I went with Jen to the hospital… a letter had been found on a Jane Doe that was addressed to me and they needed my help to identify her". "The little girl who I thought I would never see again was lying there in the hospital bed in front of me", Ziva said with a soft smile, her facial expressions showing the joy of seeing her child again but also the sadness of the situation and the memory of the loss, "They managed to confirm her ID with Jen's help", she was referring to the legal side of things that the Director of NCIS had managed.
"So, she's alive?", Jethro questioned wanting to confirm it.
The dark-haired woman nodded, "Yes", she stated simply, "She is still in a coma at the moment as she… she attempted to take her own life". "According to the letter she was trying to save me as my father apparently wishes me dead", Ziva revealed.
"Explains the FBI Agents following you", Jethro stated simply.
Ziva nodded in confirmation, "I am sorry Jethro", she said quietly.
Gibbs shook his head and wrapped his arms around her so that he could pull her into a hug that he knew she needed, "We'll get through this", he whispered.
Jethro found himself smiling as he watched his wife with his daughter, "Thank you", he said gently.
Jen smiled, she knew he was referring to the DNA tests that she had managed to get arranged as well as the upgraded hospital care that had taken place along with the organisation of security, "There's no need to thank me Jethro", she replied softly, "I love you and I did it for…", she paused as she smiled down at the young girl, "my step-daughter".
Gibbs nodded as he sat down on the armchair nearby, "I heard that three Mossad officers were arrested and deported today".
The redheaded Director nodded, "The Israeli embassy decided that it was in their best interests to prosecute on home soil".
"And Eli?", Gibbs questioned.
Jen looked up at him, "He faces the death penalty", she admitted, "His crimes were more numerous than what we had originally thought and well… he may become the first to be executed in Israel since the 60s".
Jethro continued to watch his daughter as she lay asleep in Jen's lap, "I wish I'd known about her sooner", he admitted.
Director Shepherd nodded, "I know", she said softly, "But we'll get through this… as a family".
Gibbs nodded in confirmation as Sarah mumbled in her sleep and snuggled up against Jen a little more. He did not know what would happen next but he knew that he would do anything to keep his daughter safe. He felt that he had failed Kelly by not being able to protect her and he was determined not to feel that way again.
