Rifiuto: Non Mirena

A/N: Okay, now this starts off the rest of the story... - Licia

Week Twenty-One

"Ready?"

He looked up as she made her way towards him. Her weight had started to shift, thanks to her joints loosening due to her growing middle, and the swell of her abdomen was noticeable now. "Yeah." He stood, pulling on the over shirt lying beside him. "So... your appointment, right?" She nodded; Ziva had come in the day before and picked up their things, taking them from the closet back to the brownstone. She'd tucked Amal's baby book safely in the bookcase in the nursery, where it waited for them to update it at the end of the week.

"Yeah. You sure you don't mind accompanying me?"

They slipped out of the room, heading to the nurse's station, where Tim quickly signed himself out, before allowing Ziva to lead the way to the maternity ward, where Jeanne's office was. "It's my baby, right?" She stopped, turning to him. A moment passed before she nodded. "Then I should be there." He gave her a small smile, one fraught with nerves and worry, and Ziva smiled back, appreciating the effort he was putting in, despite the obvious confusion he felt.

She held out a hand. "Come on."

His green gaze quickly darted to her hand, and she waited a moment, before nodding and slowly dropping her hand. One step at a time, Ziva. At least he agreed to come, that's something.

He followed, staying silent, before they reached the office and signed in. The assistant led them to an empty exam room, saying that Jeanne would be in soon. Ziva settled on the bed, her hands immediately going to her belly. She watched Tim out of the corner of her eye; he was sitting in the chair, gaze darting around the room, one leg nervously bouncing up and down. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I'll understand; you don't remember me or our son, so you have no reason to stay-"

"No, I... I want to stay." She met his gaze, and after a moment, nodded. They sat in silence, waiting, unsure of how to react to the other's presence-

"Sorry I'm late. My other patient went over." The couple turned as Jeanne slipped inside, shutting the door softly behind her. "How you doing, Tim?" He shrugged. "Glad to be out of the hospital?"

"Not out of the hospital yet."

Jeanne chuckled, quickly pulling up Ziva's file and jotting a couple things down before going to the expectant mother and pulling out her stethoscope. She rested the diaphragm against Ziva's chest. "Breathe deep for me." Ziva did as told, and Jeanne moved it. "And again." She then moved it to Ziva's back. "Breathe in." Another move, to the other side of the mother's back. "One more time." A moment passed, before she quickly removed the device, hanging it back around her neck. "Good girl."

"Have you seen the images of your baby, yet, Tim?" Jeanne asked, as Ziva laid back on the table. She quickly pushed the woman's shirt up, revealing the swell that had taken over her middle. Tim sat up, suddenly fascinated.

"Yeah... the... pictures in the book..." He got up, joining Jeanne on the other side. Ziva glanced at him, reaching out a hand.

"Couldn't resist, ahuva?" She joked, glancing at his face. He turned to her, studying her for a moment, before shrugging. Her smile faltered, but she quickly covered it up, turning back to Jeanne, who glanced at the pair out of the corner of her eye. She'd seen the way he'd reacted to Ziva's asking to hold his hand, but didn't call him on it. It wasn't her place, not now; and besides, Tim had just gotten out of a coma the week before.

He was bound to be distant towards Ziva while he tried to adjust and figure out his connection to her.

"She's starting to show." Jeanne nodded.

"Yes, she is... at exactly the time a mommy should..." She looked up. "Do you want to feel?"

He furrowed a brow. "Feel what?"

Ziva snorted softly, turning back to her husband. "Your baby, silly. Our baby."

Tim suddenly backed up, holding his hands out. "I... I don't think so. I... no thank you."

"Okay, if you're sure." Jeanne replied, turning her attention back to her work. She moved away, going to the bottom cupboard of the counter and pulling out a portable fetal monitor. Without a word, she hooked it up, running it over Ziva's belly for several minutes. "Everything looks good, you two."

The Israeli slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position. "He is okay?" She asked, resting a hand on her belly. Jeanne nodded.

"Perfectly healthy. Now," She grabbed a pad, quickly jotting a few things down. "I want you to have blood drawn- just usual checkup, make sure everything's okay, that there are no anomalies... head home... oh, and I am giving you the next three weeks off, so that you two can get to know each other again and get situated back into some semblance of normalcy, like you had before the accident. Doctor's orders; you have a note." She turned to Tim, quickly jotting a name and number down on the pad. "And when you're ready, this is the number of a Rachel Cranston; she's a psychologist here in private practice in the D.C., area- when you're ready, Tim, I want you to see her. Talk to her, get her input on these next few months, especially as it gets closer and closer to the baby being born. Now go home, get some rest, both of you, and try to reconnect. Work on the baby's book together. Talk. And if I find out either of you have gone into work-"

Ziva nodded. "I get it, thanks, Jeanne." Tim nodded, following Ziva out of the room. As they climbed into the car, he looked at her, his narrowed gaze going to the swell of her midsection.

"Baby's okay?" He asked, eyes narrowing. She turned to him, meeting his gaze with a nod.

"Baby's okay."

Instead of replying, Tim nodded once, before turning his gaze to the passenger window.