Bad Luck Turns to Good
Chapter 6
Ziva now had some time to think about what was going to happen when she and Jethro got back to DC.
She thought about how the team would react and hoped they would be supportive. The idea of not working with Jethro and rest of the team was not something Ziva wanted to contemplate but if that was what it took to be with him then she was ready to make the change. She knew of no written policy that said she and Jethro could not be in a relationship and still work together but she knew that often the unwritten rules were even more important than the ones in the policy manual.
While she waited she Googled 'ruptured appendix' and what she read didn't scare her as much as she had thought it would. Seemed the danger of infection was pretty serious but also that it was a fairly common problem. She tried to be confident in the hospital and the care Jethro was receiving. One thing she noted was the warning signs and the fact that early detection and treatment meant a much better outcome. Naturally, Jethro had not heeded the early warning signs; no surprise there. The man seemed to think he was invincible. Or did he just not care? That was something Ziva would change if they were together.
The time drug on and on until finally the doctor Ziva had spoken to earlier came out to give her a report.
"Agent Gibbs tolerated the surgery very well. I saw very little sign of infection but we have him on a strong antibiotic as a precaution. This is obviously not his first time in an operating room."
"No, hardly. When can I see him?"
"He's in recovery now and will be in a room in an hour or so. I expect we will need to keep him here for a couple of days but he should do fine. Do you have any questions?"
"We will be driving back to DC when he's able. How long before he could make that trip?"
"That really depends on how he feels. This is Saturday, just barely, and I expect I would discharge him on Monday. If he feels up to it he could go home then but I might wait a day just to be sure. Maybe you should plan on Tuesday. He'll be weak but he should be up to riding in a car for a few hours."
"Thank you doctor."
"You're welcome. Someone will come get you when he's settled in his room."
Ziva was nervously pacing the hallway when a nurse found her and took her to Jethro's room.
"He was just awake enough to leave recovery but he's still mostly out of it. He'll probably sleep for a while."
"Thank you."
Ziva stood next to the bed and watched Jethro sleeping. He looked very relaxed and she was sure that was the drugs working. She never tired of looking at him and this was an opportunity not to be missed. She studied his face and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Ziva lowered the side rail on the bed and sat down to wait. She took his right hand and kissed it then just held on and watched. She fantasized about waking up next to this man for the rest of her life and decided she liked that idea very much. She wondered if forever was what Jethro had in mind for them.
After almost half an hour Jethro began to rouse. He blinked a few times and finally opened his eyes and focused. He felt some small soft hands holding one of his and gradually he realized where he was. The smell and the beeping were his first clues.
Ziva stood up so he could see her.
"Hi. Welcome back."
"Hey" was all he could croak out.
The nurse had told Ziva to give him only ice cubes if he wanted them so she asked if he did and he nodded yes.
She spooned a few into his mouth and he quickly swallowed. He opened his mouth silently asking for more.
"Not too much too fast they said."
"I know."
"Not your first time is it? Do you have any pain?"
"No. What happened?"
"Your appendix ruptured. You had surgery and now you are going to be fine."
"Huh. You okay?"
"Yes, I am fine. It was a little worrisome but everything is okay now. I will call the Director later and Ducky too."
"How long?"
"Will you be here? A couple of days. We should be able to go home on Tuesday."
Jethro opened his mouth and Ziva gave him some more ice. She got a warm cloth from the bathroom and wiped his face.
"Thank you."
"You are very welcome. I am glad you are okay, Jethro. The doctor said you will be fine. They have you on some antibiotics but she said there didn't seem to be much infection."
"Can I have a kiss?"
"Of course."
Ziva leaned over him and gave him a gentle, sweet kiss on the mouth.
Jethro smiled at her and closed his eyes and faded back to sleep. Ziva sighed and settled down to wait again. She dozed on and off for the next hour as Jethro woke and went back to sleep about every twenty minutes. Ziva looked at her watch and saw it almost three thirty; no wonder she was so tired. Jethro woke up again and this time was awake for almost half an hour before he became restless and uncomfortable. Just as Ziva was about to call for a nurse, the young man walked in.
"He's been awake for a while but seems to be in some pain."
"Agent Gibbs are you having pain?"
"Some. About a six I'd say."
"You can have some pain medication now, in fact you're a little past due. How do you feel otherwise? Do you know where you are and what happened?"
"Yeah. I'm all here don't worry. Just starting to hurt."
Ziva was amazed and pleased that he would admit he was in pain. She watched as the nurse, Nathan, administered the pain meds through the IV.
"That should kick in pretty quickly and then I imagine you'll sleep for a good while."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome Agent Gibbs." Nathan looked at Ziva and said, "Just buzz or come get me if you need anything."
"Thank you I will."
When Nathan was gone, Ziva leaned over Jethro and gave him a proper kiss.
"Now, you go to sleep and when you wake up you will feel better."
"I want you to get some rest. Go back to the room and get some real sleep."
"I am not going anywhere. I do not trust you with the nurses around here."
"Nathan's not my type."
"No but Michelle is and she is also on duty. I am fine here. I can sleep in the chair."
"Okay. Love you."
And he was out.
A few minutes later Nathan reappeared with a pillow and a blanket.
"That chair by the window reclines and it's not too bad for sleeping. I know because I've slept in them before."
"Thank you. I will give it a try."
Ziva slipped off her shoes and settled in the chair which was actually not all that bad. She moved it so she could snuggle down and still see Jethro sleeping. She didn't see him for long though because after about three minutes she was sound asleep.
When Ziva woke up almost three hours later she greeted by the sight of Jethro's blue eyes watching her. He smiled at her and waggled his fingers to say a silent hello. Ziva ran her hands over her face and through her hair before getting up. She padded on bare feet to the bedside and took Jethro's hand in her.
"Good morning."
"Morning. You sleep pretty well in that chair?"
"It was apparently very adequate judging by the length of time I slept."
"What time is it anyway?"
Ziva looked at her watch and was surprised to see it was almost six o'clock.
"Nearly six. How are you feeling?"
"Better. Kinda hungry."
"Let me go freshen up a bit and I will go talk to a nurse about breakfast."
Ziva went into the bathroom, used the toilet then washed her hands and face and rinsed out her mouth. Feeling a bit better she went into the hallway to see what she could find out about the breakfast schedule.
Someone brought what they said was breakfast and Jethro ate it only because Ziva threatened him if he didn't. They sat for a while and talked about nothing in particular until Jethro insisted Ziva go back to the room and shower and take a nap.
"Maybe you should call Dale and see if by chance he has the car ready now. I know he said ten but maybe it's ready. If so maybe he could bring it to you here so you could go back to the room."
"What a good idea. I wonder why I did not think of that."
"Because you have me to do it for you."
Ziva turned serious for a moment.
"You know we have some talking we need to do. Before we go back to our normal lives we have some things we need to discuss."
Jethro reached for her hand.
"I know. Look, give me my phone and I'll call Vance and Ducky. You call Dale and then you go back and talk to Mrs. Walker about the room and rest for a while."
"Yes, I need to arrange to stay a few more days. I will bring you back your pants if you like."
"I would like very much to have my pants, thank you."
Ziva gave Jethro his phone and stepped away to call Dale about the car. She heard part of Jethro's call to the Director and was sitting beside the bed when he called Ducky. She could imagine the look on their friend's when Jethro told him what was going on. She signaled Jethro to put the phone on speaker and amazingly he knew how to do that.
"Dr. Mallard here."
"Hey Duck it's me."
"Good morning, Jethro. Are you back home?"
"No. Duck you won't believe what's happened since I left."
"Nothing bad I hope. Where are you?"
"We're still in North Carolina. You know our bad guy died right?"
"Yes, Director Vance told me. What else has happened? Why aren't you home yet"
"We started home on time but the car broke down. Had to get towed to this little town, don't even know the name. Anyway, they didn't have the part so we had to spend the night. . ."
Jethro had to stop and take a sip of water because his throat was still dry from the anesthesia. He passed the phone over to Ziva.
"Hello Ducky, Jethro had to take a drink so I will fill you in on the rest. Last night Jethro woke up in terrible pain, with a fever and vomiting. I called 911 and they got him to the hospital. His appendix had ruptured and he had surgery and now he is fine."
"My goodness what an adventure you two are having. Jethro had you been feeling ill prior to this episode last night?"
Jethro nodded at Ziva telling her in his own way to go ahead and answer for him. He reached for her free hand and laced their fingers together. Ziva grinned at him and continued with Ducky.
"Yes he had but he blamed it first on a bad taco and then he just ignored it. He was going to call you when he got home but that did not work out either."
"Are you satisfied with the care he is getting, Ziva?"
"Yes, they seem very competent. The doctor seemed to know right away what the trouble was. In fact even the guy in the ambulance knew. As I said, he is much better. The doctor said she would likely discharge him on Monday and we should be able to leave and be home on Tuesday. Does that sound reasonable to you?"
"Yes, that sounds right. As long as he does well and doesn't overdo it as he is wont to do."
"Do not worry about that. I will keep him quiet. Jethro will call you when he gets home I am sure."
"Yes, Jethro do call me and I'll come over and give you my own checkup. I'm glad you were there with him Ziva. Thank you for calling me."
"Bye Duck. I'll call you when I get back."
Jethro closed the phone before Ziva could say goodbye and she gave him a glare.
"Oh, sorry. Wanna call him back so you can say bye?"
"That is not necessary. I am sure Ducky is used to your phone etiquette or lack thereof."
"I'm sure he is. What did Dale say?"
"The car will be ready in about thirty minutes and he will bring it to me here. He seemed to know you were here before I told him."
"Small town. Probably big news when the ambulance takes a guest from the bed and breakfast to the hospital in the middle of the night."
"I suppose so. You look tired. Maybe you should relax and try to sleep for a while."
"I'm sure I will while you're gone."
Jethro was running his thumb back and forth on the back of Ziva's hand. They both fell quiet and were deep in thought when the doctor walked in.
"Good morning Agent Gibbs. How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good. Tired. Almost no pain though which is nice."
"You are doing very well according to all of our machines and charts. I hear you ate the breakfast and you're still feeling well so that's a good sign."
"Any real food in the near future?"
"You can actually have whatever sounds good to you within reason. I'd go easy on greasy or fried food but you can have pretty much anything."
"When will I be able to leave here?"
"I'd like to keep you until Monday morning. You should be good to make the drive back to DC on Tuesday with no problems. You could probably do it on Monday but you might not be very comfortable. Tuesday would be better."
"That's fine. Sure glad you were here last night, Doc."
"Me too. You would have been in much worse shape if you hadn't come in when you did. The biggest problem with a ruptured appendix is usually infection. You had very little so I'd say the extreme pain you felt was pretty much when it happened."
"I'm glad I only have one because I wouldn't want to do that again."
"No, I suspect not. Just relax today and sleep as much as you can. I'll check back this evening."
"Thanks."
Jethro and Ziva just looked at each other and still neither of them knew what to say. They both knew there were lots of things they needed to say. Things that needed to be talked about and decided upon but neither one of them had the vaguest idea of how to start the conversation. Finally, Jethro decided to step up and get things started.
"While you're gone this morning I want you to think about what we're going to tell people about us when we get home."
"Do we have to tell them anything? Maybe we should just keep this to ourselves. At least for a while."
"I'm not sure I want to do that but let's think about it. Maybe you're right. We have to agree and both be comfortable with whatever we decide. I'll think about it too. When I'm not sleeping that is."
Ziva looked at her watch and saw it was about time for Dale to arrive. She stood up and leaned down to give Jethro a kiss. He got his fingers in her hair and held her in place so they could have a proper kiss. When they both needed to breathe Jethro let her go.
"There is something else I want you to think about while you're gone."
"This is not sounding like I am going to get much rest. What else should I be thinking about?"
"Think about the fact that I love you. That I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me. Thing about that Agent David."
"I will. And you give some thought to how much I love you. Just to give you a clue, I love you more than I thought was possible. And I think I have for a very long time."
Ziva met Dale outside the front door of the hospital and went back to the bed and breakfast after dropping him off back at his garage. She explained to Mrs. Walker what had happened in the middle of the night and asked if she could keep the room for a few more days. She apologized profusely for leaving the room in such poor condition, meaning of course, two towels on the floor where Jethro had been sick. Mrs. Walker told her not to think a thing about it. Of course, she already knew about the ambulance and that Jethro was in the hospital. She assured Ziva the room was theirs as long as they needed it. Thanking her, Ziva went up to the room which had been cleaned and had fresh, clean sheets on the bed.
Ziva wanted a hot shower and some quiet time to think about what Jethro had said about telling people about them. She had thought they would go home and go back to work as if nothing had changed. She had not thought about Jethro wanting their friends and co-workers to know they were in a personal relationship. Now she had to rethink her ideas of what would happen when they returned to DC.
After a ridiculously long shower, Ziva dried her hair and slipped between the deliciously soft sheets. She tried to imagine telling her father she was in a relationship with Jethro but try as she might that conversation would not unfold in her mind. Finally, she gave up and let sleep pull her under its spell.
Back at the hospital Jethro was not sleeping as he had thought he would be. Instead he lay awake looking out the window and marveling at the turn his life had taken in the last few days. He never considered when Vance gave him the assignment to go to North Carolina that he would end up in bed with Ziva two days later. Certainly he didn't expect to be in the hospital in a tiny town he'd never been to before but even that paled in comparison to what had happened between Ziva and himself. Jethro had been well aware of his feelings for Ziva for a long time but he honestly did not know she had the same feelings for him. He knew they had a connection but he had always thought Ziva and Tony were destined to end up together; just like he and Jenny had all those years ago. Given how that turned out he was glad it hadn't happened that way for both their sakes.
Part of Jethro still believed that what he was doing, or contemplating doing, with Ziva was wrong. He reminded himself that he was Ziva's boss and that she was younger than him by a long way. But the rest of him just couldn't be convinced that loving her and having her love him was wrong. When he was with Ziva, Jethro felt complete and as if nothing could hurt him. He remembered feeling that way with Shannon and even though that bothered him some it also told him the relationship was right. He just couldn't say no to something that seemed so damned good.
Still, as sure as he was about his own feelings he wasn't all that sure what effect their being together would do to his team and that was a serious concern. NCIS was his life and had been for a long time. Being with Ziva would certainly mean he had more of a life outside work but he had no intention of giving up his job or even cutting back on the workload to any great degree. There was no prohibition about them being together but the dynamics of the team would surely be affected and that could ultimately be dangerous.
Jethro was sure he could work with Ziva if they were involved but he wasn't sure how the rest of the team would deal with it, especially Tony. Abby and Ducky would be fine and so would McGee most likely but DiNozzo was another matter. He and Ziva were partners in the field most of the time and Jethro knew Tony felt very strongly about Ziva and was very protective of her even though that was not necessary most of the time. He had no real proof that Tony desired anything more from Ziva than their working relationship and their friendship but he had long suspected that Tony was carrying a torch for her. He didn't want to lose Tony from his team, he was too valuable an agent and he cared about Tony deeply, but Jethro was not going to give up a life with the woman he loved to keep his team together. So, they would all, including DiNozzo and the Director, have to understand and accept a new reality.
With all that settled, at least in Jethro's mind, he finally let himself fall asleep. Across town at the bed and breakfast, Ziva was sleeping but dreams kept intruding and making her restless. She dreamed they got home and every time they tried to tell one of the team they were together that person disappeared and another was there in their place. They could never get to the final news about their relationship and each time they tried no one would listen. Her father drifted in and out of the dream and Jethro's father was there but only Ducky seemed to hear them. Even he was not really listening to them; he only wanted to see if Jethro was well. By the time Ziva came awake she was more tired than when she had lain down. She raked her fingers through her hair and tried to make sense of her dreams. She could only vaguely remember what was going on so she didn't spend much time thinking about them. She was anxious to get back to Jethro.
Unlike Ziva, Jethro slept soundly and the only dream he had was his father asking him over and over again when he was going to ask Ziva to marry him. They were in the store in Stillwater and no matter what they were talking about it always came back to Jack wanting to know when Jethro and Ziva were getting married. In the dream, Jethro never had an answer. Again, unlike Ziva, when Jethro woke up he remembered his dream clearly. He had always had very vivid and sometimes very painful dreams and he almost always remembered them when he woke up, even when he would rather not have. This time he was glad he remembered and he knew exactly what he wanted to tell people when he and Ziva got back to DC. Now all he had to do was figure out how to get Ziva on board.
Ziva got up from her less than restful nap and pulled on some clean clothes. After brushing her teeth, she braided her hair into one long braid and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked worried and she didn't like that. Ziva reached behind herself and gave herself a light slap on the back of the head. Now she smiled. That head slap seemed to do the trick. She was in love with a man who said he loved her back. What did she have to worry about? What difference did it make how they explained themselves; or didn't? Ziva had always felt safe when she was with Jethro no matter what was going on around them. She felt safe with him now and more than that she felt like she mattered. That was different and she liked it.
She gathered her bag and Jethro's clothes and shaving gear and headed back to the hospital. She had some things to say about their going home and she was in a bit of a hurry to get them said.
When Ziva walked into Jethro's room he wasn't in the bed and for just a brief second she was afraid. Then she saw a nurse standing by the bathroom door.
"He insisted on getting up so I'm here in case he has a problem. He's just washing his face and hands now."
"Thank you. Can I take your place?"
"Sure. He seems to be feeling pretty well so he may want to sit in the chair for a while."
"I brought him some sweat pants. Is it alright for him to put them on?"
"Oh yes. I imagine he'll be glad to have them. No one much likes to sit around in a hospital gown. Just call if you need anything."
"Thank you."
When the nurse had gone, Ziva knocked on the door and stuck her arm in waving Jethro's pants at him.
"Thank god. You can come in if you want."
Ziva stepped in the bathroom and Jethro immediately enveloped her in a hug and kissed her.
"Been wanting to do that for a couple of hours."
"I have barely been gone that long."
"I know but I missed you."
"Sit down and put these on."
Because he couldn't bend down without some pain Ziva helped him get his pants on and then pulled them up for him. Once he was situated he pulled her to him and kissed her again.
"Maybe we could get out of the bathroom and you could sit in the chair instead of the bed if you feel like it."
"Sounds good. Been in bed too long."
Jethro made his way to the chair and despite the fact he was recovering well he was tired by the time he got settled. Ziva straightened up the bed then pulled one of the small chairs up next to Jethro and sat down facing him. She reached out and linked her fingers with his.
"You look better than when I left. How are you feeing?"
"Pretty good. Tired. Did you sleep?"
"Not much. I had some crazy dreams that kept me awake. You?"
"I slept pretty well but not for very long. Did you give any thought to what we're going to tell people about us when we get home?"
Ziva laughed.
"I did. First I tried to think about how I would tell my father. That never came together in my head. I just could not imagine what he would say and how I would tell him in the first place. I didn't get much farther than that before I fell asleep."
"Yeah, I guess that will be a difficult conversation. He doesn't like me much so I don't think he's going to be thrilled about you and I being together. Does that worry you?"
"No. You know my father and I are not on the best of terms so I cannot worry about his opinion of my personal life.
"Do you want him to hear it from someone else? You know he has people watching and reporting back to him about you."
"How do you know that?"
Jethro shifted in the chair and took both her hands in his. He looked her in the eyes.
"I just know." He waited for her to respond and when she didn't he continued, "You did know that right?"
"I have suspected as much. Is he also watching you?"
"He will be I'm sure. But as you said, we can't worry about Eli. What about everyone else?"
Now the conversation was getting around to where Ziva had thought it would be in the first place. She had not intended to stray off track and talk about her father. She moved her chair around in front of Jethro and sat close so one of her legs was between his and she could see his face. She took a deep breath and plunged into her speech.
"I do not know if we should tell people or not. I am inclined to say no. Maybe we should just go about our business as we always have and keep our personal life to ourselves. We can still be together after work and on weekend but we do not have to advertise that we are together. After all we have separate homes and that will continue. I do want to wake up with you though so that might be an issue. We will have to go to work separately as well as leave separately. You will have to keep your hands to yourself and maybe not smile as much as you have been the last two days. We will have to be very careful around Abby and Ducky because they are the most likely to figure things out. Tony thinks he knows all about what I do but he does not really. Tim will not be a problem; he is too afraid of you to even think about your personal life much less say anything about it. So, I think we just go back and pretend everything is the same. What do you think?"
Jethro closed his eyes and smiled. She had spewed all that out at almost the speed of Abby on four Caf-Pows. He knew exactly what he wanted to say but he was still a little bit hesitant. When he opened his eyes Ziva was looking at him with a frown on her face and he knew she was wondering why he hadn't responded to her little tirade.
"Jethro say something. Do you agree or do you want to approach this in a different way? Do you think you can manage to act like nothing has happened between us? I am sure I can pull it off as you say but I wonder if you can. You are not acting like the Gibbs we all know so I wonder if you can fool everyone."
"If I had to go back to work and pretend I didn't even remember your name I could do it and everyone would think I had lost my memory not my appendix. I could pull off anything you wanted me to. But I don't want to do that. I don't want to pretend anymore that I don't love you like crazy. I don't want to live separately and go to work separately and go home separately. I've been doing that for a long time and I'm tired of it. I want to wake up with you and go to bed with you and do all the things in between with you. So, no I don't want to go back and act like nothin's happened."
"Then what do you want to do? What do you want to tell people?"
Jethro studied her for a moment then in his most nonchalant voice he said, "We could tell 'em we're married."
Ziva actually laughed. "Yeah right."
When Jethro didn't respond but just kept looking at her so solemnly Ziva began to wonder if he was joking or not. Of course he was. Wasn't he?
"You are kidding right?"
"Nope."
"You want us to go home and tell our friends we are married?"
"Well not unless we are. It'd be kinda stupid to say that if it wasn't true."
Ziva studied him and tried to read his eyes or his face or something. She couldn't fathom that Jethro was actually, really, seriously saying they should get married.
"Jethro are you serious? What exactly are you proposing? No pun intended."
"That's exactly what I'm doin' Ziver. Proposing. Will you marry me?"
"Marry you? That is your solution to what we should tell our friends? Do you have a fever?"
Now Jethro was getting worried that he had misunderstood Ziva's feelings for him. He had expected her to be surprised but this was a bit more than he was ready for. He took both her hands in his and pulled her to him for a quick kiss.
"I don't have a fever. My asking you to marry me is not a solution to what to tell our friends. I love you Ziva. I want to spend my life with you. I know this is sudden and maybe it's crazy and I understand if you say no but you have to know that I'm serious. I want to marry you and make a life with you. Now or sometime later, when you're ready."
Ziva closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. Jethro just sat very still watching her and waiting for her to gather herself. He knew he had surprised her; hell he'd surprised himself, but now that it was out there he was glad he'd asked her and told her how he felt. Whatever she decided he'd be okay with it. Well, not okay with no really but he'd just take some time and convince her and then ask again.
Ziva leaned back so she could look into those blue eyes that had captivated her for so long. The eyes she knew in her soul she wanted to wake up to every day for the rest of her life.
"Jethro could you ask me again, please?"
He felt his heart speed up at the realization of what she was saying. Now it was his turn to take some deep breaths. He had known when he first uttered the question that she would not immediately say yes. Now, he was pretty sure she was going to. His mouth was suddenly a little bit dry. He very gently kissed her before he managed to ask again.
"Ziva, will you marry me?"
She let the question hang in the air for about three seconds before she gifted him with her most beautiful smile and said the one word he so desperately wanted to hear.
"Yes. I will marry you Jethro. And the sooner the better as far as I am concerned."
"You sure? You don't want time to plan it and have a big wedding or even a medium sized wedding?"
"No, I have never thought I wanted that. I have not contemplated marriage in a very long time. I want to be with you forever, Jethro and the sooner we can start on our forever the better I will like it."
"So you're okay with doing it here before we go back? I don't mean here, in the hospital but here in. . . well, wherever we are?"
"Do you think we could?"
"I imagine. We'll have to check the law for North Carolina but I bet we can. Are you sure Ziver? About getting married?"
"Yes, I am sure. I have never been more sure about anything."
She kissed him again and Jethro was convinced he would never have enough of her.
"Are you sure? You do not have to marry me to keep me, Jethro. I am not going anywhere even if we just decide to be a couple or live together or whatever."
"I know I don't have to. I want to marry you Ziver and I want us to have a family. I want us to have children together. How do you feel about that?"
Ziva covered her face with her hands and let the tears she had been holding at bay finally fall. Jethro gently took her wrists and pulled her hands down. He leaned in and kissed her tears away.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing. I just never expected to feel this way and to have you say these things to me. I have loved you for so long Jethro, but I never expected to have you love me."
"I'm sorry I didn't figure this out sooner. But now that I've got it, we're going to be fine. We're going to be better than fine. Come here."
Jethro pulled Ziva onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed into his embrace. She had never felt so safe and so cherished. She wanted the feelings to last forever.
After holding one another for a long time Jethro felt himself falling asleep. There were some things they needed to talk about though so he moved a little and Ziva got up. She helped him stand up and Jethro went to sit on the side of the bed.
"I feel like I'm about to crash. We need to make some plans I guess."
"You rest and let me go talk to some people and see what we need to do. You are absolutely sure you want to get married here? You do not want to have Ducky here? Or Abby?"
"The only person I have to have here is you. Do you want to have the guys come down here? They could you know."
"I will think about it but right now I do not think so. We can have a party with everyone when we get home."
"That sounds good. Hey, do you have your papers with you?"
"Yes, I carry a copy all the time just in case. I want you to relax and have a rest and I will be back later."
Ziva stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She looked him in the eyes for a moment then kissed him.
"You have made me the happiest woman on the planet today, Jethro. I love you with all my heart."
"Likewise. If you get out of here and breathe in some fresh air and come to your senses I'll understand."
She punched him lightly on the chest. "That will not happen. I assure you, I have all my senses about me now and I am sure about what we are doing. If you wake up later and realize all this was not a dream and you actually did ask me to marry you and you wish to change things I will understand. I will hurt you, but I will understand."
Jethro laughed and said, "That sure as hell isn't going to happen. If I'm dreaming, I hope I never wake up."
They shared an intimate, sweet kiss and then Jethro laid down and Ziva left him to his dreams. She had things to do.
TBC