Interlude
Chapter 5
A/N: You asked for it and now you have it. A Tiva chapter, though I kept in mind McGee and Tony's conversation about whether they had heard from Ziva after they all got back from Somalia. Tony had tried to talk to her on the plane, but it went nowhere. Maybe this is why.
And, for everyone that has been reviewing...thank you so much. It's telling me that I'm, so far, not screwing up the characters and giving you something that is worth the time you take to read it. Thanks for the boost.
Foop!
Ziva curled in on herself and rang for the nurse. The pain was unreal. She thought that it could only be moderate at worst. This was like having a knife driven in and sliced around. She took a moment to glance beneath the blankets and almost threw up. She had a small blood pool. She had only slept for 45 minutes after playing a few rounds of Jenga with McGee. How could this happen?
Megan ran in. "Ziva, what's wrong?"
Ziva threw the blankets back. "This."
"Oh my gosh. How much pain are you in?"
"I can barely breathe," Ziva managed.
"Okay. Relax and we'll take care of this. Take it easy," Megan said, calling out orders so fast that Ziva's English broke down. Her mind returned to her native language and she became very frightened. Her Mossad training kicked in and she remained still and allowed the doctors to do as they needed, all the while, inside, she was a terrified young woman. She did not cry out when they took her out of her room and into an operating room to cauterize the bleeders. She did not cry out as each laser strike seared into her most private place. Silent tears slipped from her eyes, but she made no sound.
She was gently placed back in her bed after all was done. It was clean and white with no red and warm, soft blankets were wrapped around her again. She was still in a significant amount of pain, but less than before. She hurt in a way she never imagined she could and cursed Saleem and his men and her father, too, for doing this to her. She laid back, trying to sleep.
"Hey, Ziva, movie time!" Tony announced, coming into her room, brandishing copies of her favorite films. He stopped in his tracks and shoved the DVDs on her bedside table. She was curled into a ball and was clearly in pain. He reached out a hand and gently touched her shoulder. "Ziva?"
She shrank away from his touch. "No."
"Ziva, I didn't mean anything. I didn't mean to scare you. Talk to me?" Tony offered.
Her voice was a whisper. "Please just go away."
"No." Tony said clearly. "I'm your partner and we have each others lives in our hands. You need me right now. No jokes, no playing around. You've been through too much. Talk to me, or not, but let me be here for you."
She desperately wanted to lean on him, annoying as he could be. He had lead the team into the desert to find her. He believed she was still alive. He was her partner. More, he was her friend. She wanted to tell him, but she feared it might hurt him in ways he was not prepared for. "Tony, I have been through two very painful and personal procedures and I am in indescribable pain. I do not want you to see me like this."
"You're embarrassed."
"No. I want to protect you," she whispered, voice full of the pain she felt.
"I don't need protecting, Ziva David," Tony said, like Gibbs only a day ago, sliding onto the hospital bed and gathering her in his arms. "Don't let yourself be embarrassed. I get it, even if I don't get the specifics. You're in pain and it would be good to have some comfort."
Ziva tried to speak, but a flash of agony ran through her and she cried out, legs curling into her abdomen. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
Tony was terrified for her. He'd seen her hurt before, both physically and mentally/emotionally, but nothing as raw as this. He wasn't sure he could handle it. "Tell me how to help you." He gently tried to wipe the tears away.
"You cannot. No one can. Please go."
Tony, terrified, rang the Nurses Station. When Megan ran in, he said, "She's in pain."
Megan lifted the sheets and saw no blood, yet Ziva appeared to be in excruciating pain. "What is it, Ziva? Talk to me."
Ziva fought to hold control on her English. "It is like a knife, here. It is twisting, twisting. It will not stop. Help me."
"I'll get something to help you. I'll be back in a second," Megan said as she rushed out of the room. She found what she need to help this poor traumatized woman to find healing and comfort. She quickly injected the fluid into the IV line. "It'll be a minute or so," she said, stoking her patient's hair. "This handsome man is scared for you. I think he wants to offer you some comfort."
"No. Send him away. I do not want him to see me like this."
"He already has," Tony said, softly, his tone serious. "Ziva, let me do this for you." He slipped into the bed and again, gathered her to his chest and held her as she struggled against him. "No, I'm not going away. We're partners and I won't leave you behind. I never will."
As the pain-killers took effect her protests became weaker and she eventually fell asleep in DiNozzo's arms. He settled in for a long day in a hospital bed holding his partner as she slept. He understood the reasons she had for fighting against him and vowed to change that minor distrust. He also understood the two horribly painful procedures she had just undergone in less than four hours and what they might mean to her. They had been excruciatingly painful and terrifying for her. He was her partner and he would stand by her, no matter what. No matter what.