Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Author's Note: A little Italian for Tony and a little Hebrew for Ziva.

Chapter 3

Tony plopped down on the couch and threw the bottle and breast pump far away from him. He put his head in his hands and sighed loudly. This whole situation with Ziva was frustrating. A month ago, everything was fine. She was happy. Well at least he thought she was happy. They had just had a baby and she was ecstatic. They even went to a local synagogue and Tony recited the Aliyah to ask for blessings and health over Ziva and Malachi. He wondered how one month changed everything.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.

"Hello." He answered.

An automatic message replied.

"This is a friendly reminder to inform you that "Malachi DiNozzo" has a check-up tomorrow at 10:30am..."
Tony listened to the rest of the message and then he hung up. He began to wonder if Ziva remembered that Malachi had a check-up tomorrow.

Then he wondered if she would even go with him.

Just then a yawn escaped him. All of this worrying was making him tired. He glanced at his watch, it was getting late.

"Tony." Ziva's soft voice called.

He quickly jumped to his feet and ran to the bedroom door. He was surprised to see Ziva cradling their son close to her. It almost re-created the picture Abby gave him earlier.

Tony subconsciously glanced at the bedside table. Half of the sandwich was gone. Good enough. At least she ate something.

"He fell asleep after I fed him." Ziva told him.

"Okay, did you burp him?"

"Yes." She answered quickly.

Tony could hear the fear in her voice. He felt really bad about yelling at her earlier. He reached to pick up Malachi, but he stopped. "Do you want to say goodnight to him?" He really hoped that she would.

Ziva hesitated, then she shook her head no and she placed Kai safely into his father's arms.

Tony sighed in despair. Then he took Kai to the nursery where they did their nightly routine. He changed his diaper and put on his pajamas. He held Kai close to his chest, over his heart. Then, Tony said the prayer that his mother used to say to him when he was young.

"Angels East, Angels West
North and South just do your best
To guard and watch him as he rest
Amen."

Tony kissed Kai on his head and then laid him in his crib.
"Sogni d'oro." (Sweet Dreams)

...

When Tony got back to the bedroom, Ziva was already in her pajamas and in the bed. He grabbed the plate from the bedside table and went to the living room, where James Bond was still paused on the TV. He turned the TV off, cleaned up again, checked the locks on the doors, checked on Kai and then he went back to the bedroom. He quickly put on his pajamas and slid into bed. Ziva turned over onto her side with her back to him.

He stared at her back for a moment and then he spoke.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. You're right, it's your body and you control it, not me. I was just trying to think about what's best for our son. And I think that it's best if you continue to breastfeed him. But, we can talk about other solutions and we can compromise."

Silence from Ziva.

"Did you hear me Zi?" He gently shook her shoulder.

"Yes Tony, can we go to sleep now?"

"Okay. I love you." He said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Ziva didn't respond. Tony rolled over to his side and went to sleep.

...

It had been 2 hours and 17 minutes.

That is 137 minutes. That is 8,220 seconds. Ziva calculated in her head as she stared at the clock beside her. She could not sleep. There were a million things running through her mind. Thoughts of selfishness and karma plagued her. She huffed loudly. She thought she reached her depression quota for today. At this point, she was too tired, literally exhausted.

Ziva knew one thing that could bring her relief, but she felt like she didn't deserve it, especially when she turned it down earlier.

But she really, really, really needed to sleep! Maybe she would allow herself the luxury this time.

Ziva quietly got out of bed and went to the nursery. She looked at her son sleeping peacefully in his crib. She picked him up and gently rocked him and walked around with him. Her mind was beginning to feel at ease.

She spent an hour just being in the presence of her son, admiring his features. Malachi's hair was curly like hers. He had Tony's green eyes. He had Ziva's nose and Tony's mouth.

She couldn't believe her and Tony created someone this adorable.

Ziva wished she could hold her baby boy in her arms forever but she knew she couldn't. So, she laid him back in his crib. She laughed gently, wondering how he slept through everything. Then she was reminded that he was just like his father. He even slept the same way Tony did, with one hand propped behind his head.

She kissed her fingers and touched Kai's head.

"Laila Tov Motek." (Goodnight Sweetie)

…

The Next Morning

Tony awoke for the fourth and final time. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. He and Ziva had been up three times during the night to feed and change Kai and they were exhausted. He read somewhere that new parents didn't get much sleep during their baby's first few months. He really hoped that he and Ziva could work through their issues to make the next few months bearable.

Tony got up and went to the kitchen to turn on the coffeemaker. Hopefully this would help him get a jumpstart on his day.

After he brushed his teeth, shaved, and showered, Tony went into the bedroom to get dressed. He saw Ziva sitting against the headboard of the bed with her knees to her chest, and her head in her hands. He could tell that she had been awake a few minutes and she wasn't in a pleasant mood.

"Good morning." He said, not too loudly.

No reaction from Ziva.

"Malachi has a doctor appointment today." He said, trying to gain her interest.

Still nothing.

Tony put his clothes on. He tried somewhat awkwardly to make the bed with Ziva still in it. He even fluffed her pillows a bit.

"I'm going to go get him ready." The statement was more of an open-ended invitation for Ziva to join them.

After Tony left, Ziva reached into the drawer of her bedside table and pulled out Malachi's appointment card. She didn't forget.

Tony walked into the nursery and saw Kai smiling and kicking his feet in the air.

"Hey, look who's awake!" Tony exclaimed happily. He picked up Kai and hugged him and kissed him. "Good morning little guy!" Malachi's smile was infectious. It was impossible to be sad around him because he was such a happy baby. However, Ziva was the exception, which Tony could not understand.

"Let's get you cleaned up shall we?" Tony took Kai and the baby bath tub and bath supplies to the kitchen sink. As Tony bathed him, he noticed that Kai liked the bubbles. So he took a few and made a bubble mustache. Kai wiggled his hands and feet in joy as his daddy amused him. Tony would never admit it, but he probably had more fun than Malachi during bath time.

After he rinsed and dried Kai off, Tony took him back to the nursery to moisturize him and get him dressed. Tony looked at the time on his cell phone. They would have to leave in 15 minutes if they were going to make it in time for the appointment. He figured Ziva wasn't going so he and Kai went to the bedroom to say goodbye.

To his surprise, Ziva was showered and dressed, and making up her side of the bed. She looked up and saw Tony and Kai. Before Tony could say something, Ziva was already reaching for Kai, getting ready to breastfeed him.

Tony handed him over and went to the kitchen to retrieve his coffee and a snack for Ziva.

Ten minutes later, they were locking up the apartment and getting in the car. Tony secured Malachi in his car seat and Ziva made sure she had the diaper bag. During the car ride, Tony tried to make small talk with Ziva, but she remained silent. She was there physically, but emotionally she was miles away.

…

When they arrived at the doctor's office, Tony signed in while Ziva sat with Kai. Their wait in the waiting room wasn't long at all. A nurse directed the family into an empty room and told them the pediatrician would be there shortly. Ziva sat back in a chair with an emotionless expression on her face. Tony unbundled Kai from his carrier and held him while they waited on the doctor.

After another minute or two, Dr. Witt entered.

"Hello DiNozzos, how are you doing today?" She greeted. She went to the sink and washed and sanitized her hands.

Ziva didn't respond so Tony answered for them. "We're fine Dr. Witt, thank you for asking."

"And how is Malachi?" She asked as she sat on a rolling chair.

Still no answer from Ziva.

"He's getting bigger every day." Tony beamed with pride.

"Wonderful. Let's get started…"

Tony kept Malachi on his lap as Dr. Witt listened to the baby's heart, checked his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. She weighed and measured him. She tested his hand and eye coordination and his reflexes. Then she began to ask Tony and Ziva questions about Malachi's home schedule and routine. It didn't escape Dr. Witt that Tony answered all of the questions. She also noticed that Tony nudged Ziva when she asked about breast milk and formula.

"Okay, Malachi seems to be progressing well. All he needs is his one month immunization and then we will be done for today. I will send a nurse in to give him his shot and then I'll come back."

There was still no reaction from Ziva.

Tony felt nervous about Kai getting a shot. He didn't want anything to hurt his baby. He held Kai close to comfort him and himself.

The nurse came in, carrying a tray with the needle, sanitizing wipe, and Band-Aid. She introduced herself and told the parents what she was going to do.

"Is that going to hurt him?" Tony asked. The needle was small but so was his son. And he had a right to be concerned.

"It will for a little bit, but the pain is very mild. Make sure to watch out for any swelling or discoloration of the skin. He shouldn't have any side effects. If he does, contact us." She began to use the sanitizing wipe to clean the area where the shot was going to go.

Tony held his son comfortably while the nurse administered the shot.

When the little needle entered Malachi's soft skin and his cries rang out into the air, Ziva snapped!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!" She asked in a furious tone. It was like she snapped back into reality and someone was hurting her baby.

On reflex, she quickly reached for Malachi.

Tony grabbed her hand and spoke softly, "It's okay Zi, it's just one little shot."

The nurse was already finished with the shot and she quickly put the Band-Aid on. She knew from experience that the parents were bothered by the shot more than the children. She packed up her equipment and left the room.

"NO!" Ziva yelled as she picked up Malachi.

Dr. Witt rushed into the room to see what the commotion was about. "What's going on here?"

"Let's go Tony." Ziva told him.

"Ziva calm down, it's just a-"

"LET'S GO NOW!" Ziva yelled. She was seeing red and her assassin side was trying to take over. She held Malachi close to her as she stormed out of the building.

Dr. Witt gave Tony a confused look.

"I'm so sorry Dr. Witt. Ziva is having a rough day." He said as he gathered his son's diaper bag and carrier. "I will call later to make Malachi's next appointment."

Tony walked outside of the building, frantically looking for Ziva and Malachi. He spotted them by the car. As he slowly approached, he heard Ziva mixing her Hebrew and English together, which she only did when she was really angry. She tried soothing Malachi, who was still crying, and she only became angrier.

Tony quickly secured the carrier in the back seat of the car. Ziva put Malachi in and secured him. Then she climbed in next to him and slammed the door. Tony put the diaper bag in the now empty passenger seat and quickly got in the driver's seat. He looked in his rearview mirror at Ziva and he could see her staring back at him. She had tears falling from eyes.

To an outsider looking in, her tears may have been viewed as crying; a sign of weakness. But Tony knew better. He knew that Ziva was so angry that her rage had boiled to the top and overflowed. Those were dangerous tears.