I'm re-thinking writing a sequel for this story. I may just finish it up with the last chapter. It's completely do able, but I had a story line in mind for a sequel, which I could use if later on even if I do plan to end this story with the last chapter. I seem to be losing interest in this pairing. I do that. I was really into this pairing, hence why I started writing this story. Now, however I am turning back to a different pairing. I flip-flop a lot. Anyway, when I figure out what I'm going to do I'll let you all know.

Reviews make my world go 'round.
VillageVoice

Abby opened the door slowly as to create as little noise as possible and entered the candlelit room. She walked over to the bathtub and knelt down, handing Ziva tall glass in her hands. "I tried to recreate your berry mango madness. Unfortunately it didn't work so well so I got you orange juice instead." She said in a quiet voice.

Ziva smiled and drew a hand out of the tub to accept the glass. "Thank-you Abby."

Abby wiped a lock of hair that escaped Ziva's clip and tucked it behind her ear. "Are you feeling any better?" She let her hand rest on Ziva's cheek, checking for a fever.

Ziva leaned into the touch. "No. Unfortunately."

"I'm sorry you don't feel good sweetie."

Ziva took a shakey sip of her drink and handed it to Abby to set on the edge of the tub. "I just wish it would all go away, the headache, the sore throat, the coughing." She had to stay in the tub for hours at a time just to keep the 'gunk' as Abby called it, from settling in her lungs and making her cough. They were using a lot of water as it tended to get pretty cold pretty quickly, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was keeping her lungs clear because all of that coughing was jostling her uterus in ways it didn't need to be jostled. They didn't want to risk triggering her labor again. The warm water and the steam seemed to be doing the trick and for once Ziva was quite content to just lay there. She was too exhausted to do anything else anyway.

They had taken her to the clinic at the beginning of the week to see what was wrong with her. They tested her for everything under the sun, but all of the tests came back negative. A fact that both relieved and worried both women. On one hand it was good. There was nothing wrong with her that could hurt her or the baby. On the other hand, without a diagnosis there wasn't any specific treatment. It was the common cold. Go home, lots of fluids, lots of rest and wait it out. They'd been waiting it out for almost a full week now. It was beginning to seriously damper Ziva's mood.

Abby dug two oval shaped pills and a smaller circular pill out of her pocket and handed them to Ziva. "Take these."

"I just took them an hour ago."

"You took them four hours ago."

"Really?"

Abby nodded and handed Ziva a bottle of water. Ziva downed the pills without another question. Time was seemingly irrelevant now. "Want me to join you?"

Ziva smiled at Abby. "You should go to bed. You have work in the morning."

"So? I have been getting way too much sleep since we've been here." Abby explained as she started stripping off her clothes. "I think I'm due a personal day anyway." Ziva scooted forward and made room for Abby to climb in behind her. Her pale arms hugged Ziva tightly. "I love you." She said with a kiss to Ziva's warm cheek. They had to make sure she took the over-the-counter medications Dr. Jacobs recommended she take exactly when she was supposed to so that they kept her fever down. A fever was not good for her or the baby. Abby wasn't worried yet though. Her fever stayed down as long as she got the medication. She wasn't looking forward to waking the Israeli in the middle of the night to take her meds, but she would do it.

"I love you too." Ziva sighed and relaxed into Abby's arms. "But you should not be here. If you get sick who is going to take care of me?" She asked with a smile.

Abby chuckled. "I would gladly get sick to spend time with you. But I have dosed myself with plenty enough vitamin C to protect myself from the flu fifty times over."

"Would you like to share?"

"I gave you one with the pain killers."

"You are too good to me."

"Come on Zi!"

"I am not going! I am staying in bed!"

Abby let out a breath and pushed the front door closed. She took a minute before climbing the stairs and heading into the bedroom. "And just why not?"

"I don't feel good."

"Ziva you know Lawrence said you will get over this faster if you get up and get a little exercise. Going for a short walk will not kill you."

"You don't know that."

"Actually," Abby began, walking over to Ziva." "I do." She said as she pulled the covers off Ziva. "Now let's go."

"No." Ziva pulled the covers back over herself.

Abby backed away. "Fine. But when no one is here to get you water or juice or something to eat or more medicine what are you going to do?" Ziva poked her head out and looked at Abby with a look that said, 'You wouldn't.' "I'll be downstairs."

Ziva came downstairs four minutes later. Abby bit her lip to keep from laughing. Ziva looked absolutely adorable. Her hair was left down in a mess of dark curls and she was bundled up with big boots, a thick jacket and even a hat pulled down over her ears even though it was very warm outside. It briefly crossed Abby's mind that no one on the island had ever seen Ziva without her hair straightened, but it was enough of a fight to get Ziva out of the house so she was reluctant to push.

They stepped outside and Abby stopped to take a deep breath of the warm afternoon sea air. "Nothing quite like that smell, is there?"

Ziva looked at Abby and tried to sniff, but she was so completely stuffed up that it wasn't possible.

Abby got the point. She looped her arm around Ziva's and steered her toward the path. "Fresh air is good. There's no point in staying in the house breathing in the same infected air. Studies show…"

Ziva groaned. All she wanted to do was lie down in their nice warm bed and sleep until this cold went away.

"And when we get back I will make us dinner and we can spend the rest of the night in bed. Ooh, we should watch the birthing video 'cause you know we haven't yet and we really should."

Ziva groaned again.

Abby chuckled. "Don't worry Zi. I'll take care of you."

They walked in silence slowly around the path that circled around the entire island. The scientist figured that she'd push for an hour walk if Ziva could handle it. They'd walk half an hour and then turn around as it was closer to a two hour walk if they followed the path back to their house. She knew Ziva didn't have that kind of energy in her present state.

"Abby?"

"Yeah."

"I need to use the ladies room."

"Are you serious?"

Ziva stopped walking and looked at Abby. "Abby I have a small human being pressing against my bladder. Yes I am serious."

"Hmm . . . right." Abby looked around. It was Sunday so all of the shops were closed except for the grocery store, but Ernie didn't have a bathroom in there. "Who lives around here?" She mused to herself. "Ah, this way." A few seconds later they were waiting at a door until a familiar curly redheaded freckle-faced child opened the door. "Hey Shannon. Do you think Anna here can use your bathroom?"

The little girl smiled and opened the door wider. Ziva bolted down the hall. "Thanks sweetie. Where's your Mommy?" Abby asked.

"She's in the kitchen."

Abby leaned down and placed a kiss in Shannon's head before heading into the kitchen. "Hey Sam."

"Kate, hey. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We were out for a walk and Anna had to use the bathroom."

Sam chuckled and shook her head. "I don't miss those days. How's she doing?"

"She's still pretty sick. I hate that I can't do anything. She's tired, she can barely go half an hour without having to use the bathroom - which I should have thought about when I suggested we go for a walk. She's miserable."

"That sucks." Sam began. "Being pregnant is hard enough without being sick on top of it. Is she a good patient at least?"

Abby raised an eyebrow. "If I could get my hands on a mood stabilizer I wouldn't hesitate to use it."

"I know exactly how she's feeling. At this point you feel like you've been pregnant forever and you're going to continue-"

"Being pregnant forever." Ziva finished as she joined the group. "Something like that, yes."

"Can't be much longer." Sam offered. "Only two weeks left right?" Ziva and Abby nodded. "Take advantage of these next two weeks."

"I wish I could." Ziva said.

"I have something that should help with that." Sam said as she poured whatever she had been making at the stove into a tall glass. "It's completely harmless I swear." She explained as she handed Ziva the freshly brewed red drink. "I took it all the time when I was pregnant with Shannon. I was quite sick for a lot of my pregnancy."

Ziva looked from the drink across the hall where Shannon was quietly playing in the living room. She leaned over towards Abby when Sam turned her back. "It didn't give her that red hair did it?" She whispered.

"Ziva!"

"I do not think that I would be able to claim a red haired child as my own. Look at me."

Abby chuckled as she pushed the drink towards Ziva's mouth. "Drink it."

"Actually it's probably best not to drink it right now." Sam took the drink back and poured it into a travel mug for Ziva. "I forgot it can make you really tired." She handed the mug over to Ziva. "Take it before about an hour before bed, warm-it up first and you'll wake-up feeling good as new."

Ziva smiled. "Thank-you."

"Hold on Shannon has something for you too." She walked over to the doorway. "Shan you want to come in here for a minute?" A few seconds later the clatter of little footsteps was heard running toward them. Sam bent down and whispered something into her daughter's ear before the little girl ran off toward the stairs.

They made idle chat until Shannon came back down the stairs and ran up to Ziva. "Anna?"

Ziva squatted down so that she was level with the little girl. "Yes Shannon."

Shannon brought something out from behind her back. "I drawed this for you."

Ziva took the offered paper and smiled. "It's beautiful Shannon." She hugged the girl. "Thank-you."

"Are you gonna put it on your fridge?" She asked.

Ziva looked over at the refrigerator and saw it covered with hand-drawn pictures like the one in her hands. "Of course."

Ziva looked over at the refrigerator as she and Abby sat at the island eating their dinner. She had never had anyone draw her anything to be put up on the refrigerator. Shannon's drawing was very cute. It had a big sunflower with a smiling face and bright smiling sun. There were also a couple of misshapen butterflies - she didn't expect Picasso, Shannon was only four, all fluttering around with 'GET WELL SOON ANNA' written in big bold letters across the top. "Why do people hang pictures on refrigerators?"

"Because it's one of the major rooms in a house where families spend time together. Families that have kids old enough to draw pictures spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. Kids get to see that their parents are proud of their work."

Ziva nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Why didn't we put anything up?"

"We have Shannon's picture up."

"Before that."

"Because we spend most of our time in other rooms." She joked.

Ziva smiled and went to say something, but she was interrupted by the need to cough.

Abby rubbed her back until the coughing subsided. "I'm gonna go start the bath. Why don't you drink that stuff Sam made for you? That way when the steam from the bath has cleared out your lungs hopefully it will have made you tired and then you'll actually be able to sleep tonight." She gave Ziva a kiss and headed off in the direction of the stairs.

Ziva looked across the island at the travel mug sitting on the other side.

"It won't give the baby red hair!" Abby yelled down.

Ziva chuckled and walked around the island, picking up the mug. She nuked it for a minute in the microwave and stirred it up really well before she took a tentative sip. She had nothing against red haired children. She actually found them quite adorable, however, because of the means by which her child came to be - almost be, she was growing increasingly concerned as they got closer and closer to the birth of what the baby would look like. She was tanned with dark hair and dark eyes, but the baby's father was not. She knew she would not handle it well if the baby looked like his father with his light complexion and light blue eyes. She just wanted the baby to look like her so she wouldn't have to answer questions about his or her father.

The Israeli shrugged and drank all of the red liquid. There was no point worrying over something she had no control over. The baby would be born and look like whoever he or she was meant to. Ziva just prayed it was her.

"Zi! You coming?!

"Yes!" Ziva yelled back. She took a minute to gather all of their dishes and loaded up the dishwasher then she headed to join Abby in the bath. They were by far becoming her favorite occurrences of the day.

Abby woke the next morning to the smell of fresh chocolate chip pancakes. She slowly opened her eyes, more than a little shocked to be waking up alone for the first time in a long time. "Zi…Ziv…" Abby tried to call Ziva's name, but found that she could not. She rolled over and groaned into her pillow. "W-hy?"

"Why what?"

Abby turned her head to the right and attempted a smile. Ziva set the tray down on the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Abby.

"I told you you would get sick." She said as she wiped the sweat soaked hair from Abby's warm forehead. "But you were too stubborn to listen."

Abby only coughed in response.

"That means no pancakes for you."

"No! I want pancakes." Abby barely managed to squeak out.

"First we take your temperature." The Israeli bargained.

Abby rolled her eyes, but turned on her back and took the thermometer from Ziva. "Zi you really shouldn't be here."

"I am not going anywhere."

"I can be sick. You can't. You're pregnant. You have to think about the baby." She whispered.

"I am thinking about the baby. She loves being around her Momma."

Abby smiled. "He does, does he?" While Abby was still holding firm to her belief that the baby was a girl and Ziva a boy, they liked to taunt each other by saying it was the sex the other wanted when the wanted something. ie) Ziva saying calling the baby a girl to prevent Abby from throwing her out of the room for the next week.

Ziva nodded. "I called Sam this morning and she's making more of that drink she made for me yesterday."

"I just woke-up. How did you know I was sick?"

"You were coughing all night."

"I was?" Abby asked. "Sorry."

"Don't be. The baby kept me up more than you did."

"Aw Zi." Abby squeaked. "You should've woken me."

"You needed your sleep." Ziva placed a gentle kiss to Abby's feverish cheek. She pulled away and looked at Abby for a second before reaching down to grab the tray she had brought in. Abby really wasn't looking so good. She was pale and her skin was clammy and damn with a feverish sweat and she just generally looked very tired and unwell. "Okay, chocolate chip pancakes, a bowl of fresh fruit and orange juice. I called Dr. Jacobs and told him you have the same cold I did so he has a couple of prescriptions ready for you." Because she wasn't pregnant she could take different and stronger medications than Ziva could which resulted in a few more pills. "I am going to go pick up the drink from Sam and by the time I get there your prescriptions should be ready so I will head over to the clinic to get those. Will you be alright for a while?"

Ziva looked up and Abby was fast asleep. She put the tray on the bench at the end of the bed and tucked Abby back in. Writing a quick note Ziva put it on Abby's alarm clock, placed another kiss on the scientist's forehead and quietly made her way out of the room and out of the house. With any luck she would be back before Abby woke-up.

Ziva handed Abby a handful of pills and a glass of water. "Take these."

"I will take them, but after that I am going to work."

"Abby I called you in six hours ago."

Abby threw one of the pills in her mouth and took a sip of water. "What time is it?"

"Just after two." Ziva answered. She was working more in not calling time by its twenty-four hour format. Abby rarely did and no one else on the island did so she found it slipping and replaced with the twelve hour format as more of a way for her to fit in.

Abby took another pill and another sip of water. "I can still go in."

"This would go a lot faster if you took all of the pills at once."

"There are tests I need to run. Some people on this island have serious medical conditions that need to be monitored." She said as she took another pill.

"Dr. Jacobs can run them himself if they are that important."

Abby scoffed, downing another pill. "That man couldn't diagnose a toothache without me."

"I am sure that the nurses will be able to help for a few days."

"A few days? Ziva let's talk about this."

Ziva pushed Abby's hand to her mouth so that she would stop procrastinating and take the rest of her pills. "We could." She pushed the glass to Abby's mouth and waited while she took a few large sips. "But that would require you actually being able to talk. Right now that is not your strong point." She joked.

Abby handed Ziva her glass and folded her arms over her chest. "I was nice to you when you were sick."

Ziva set the glass on the night table and leaned down to press a gentle 'quick so I don't get sick' kiss to Abby's lips. "This is me being nice." She handed Abby a black rose she had hidden behind her back. "I picked it up on the way home."

Abby took the rose and smiled. "Thank-you. That was sweet."

"I do try sometimes you know." Ziva said as she took the glass of Sam's healing drink mix and handed it to Abby.

"No you don't." Abby said with a sip. "You don't have to try. You're just a kind, sweet, loving and wonderful person."

Ziva chuckled. "I see those pills kick in fast, yes?"

Abby smiled and as soon as she had finished her drink she wiggled herself down so that she was now lying flat on the bed. Ziva went to tuck her in, but Abby slapped her hands away - gently of course. "No. Now I am going to go to sleep and you are going to go . . . away. And I don't want to hear it Ziva you're not looking out for the best interests of you," She began, motioning to Ziva and her belly. "So I have to look out for the best interests of you and the best interests of you are for you to not get sick." She took a minute to clear her throat. "So go." She whispered.

Ziva took a deep breath. "Are we really going through this again?"

Abby shook her head in the negative. "No because you're leaving. Or maybe I should go in one of the guest rooms. Yeah I'll do that."

Ziva pushed Abby back down. "Let me tell you a story." Abby pulled the covers up to her chin and waited for Ziva to begin her story. "It is a story of two women, two countries and eighteen months." Abby's smile faded. "Abby I was away from you for almost two years."

"It would have been two years if you didn't stage your own death." Abby added.

Ziva's face softened at how adorably sick Abby sounded. "It would have. Most likely a lot longer, but the point is that I could not bear to be away from you any longer. We were apart longer than we were together in our relationship. I know that there is nothing in my past that supports what I am saying. I know that. But I will never again leave you Abby." She brushed a few stray hairs from Abby's face. "Not even for a couple of days."

Abby smiled and yawned sleepily. "Okay. You can stay."

Ziva pulled the covers back and snuggled up against Abby. However her belly was now big enough to get in the way. Abby pushed her on to her side and curled up against her. "Ziva?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too."

Ziva placed a kiss on Abby's forehead and they were both fast asleep within minutes. They woke-up the next morning feeling better and more rested than either had in a long while.