Chapter 11
Ziva and McGee traded questioning looks. "Lamaze?" Ziva repeated.
"Ah, yeah, it's a class pregnant women take, teaches them how to breathe and . . . stuff," McGee supplied, and Ziva shot him a dirty look.
"I know what Lamaze is," she said, then turned back to Dr. Jefferson. "I thought that was rather, how should I put this, old-fashioned?"
Rather than be offended at the comment, Dr. Jefferson smiled. "Some people believe it to be, yes, but I've found it's generally effective. If nothing else, it's worth a shot. I'll give you the number for someone I know who teaches a class, and you can check it out on your own time." He put up his hands. "Completely up to you. Though I do recommend you at least check it out. Now, if Mr. McGee will join me, we'll allow you to get dressed and you can be on your way back home."
He motioned at the door and McGee exited, winking at Ziva as he went. Once they were out of the room, McGee turned to the doctor.
"Look, I'm sorry about how I acted before," he said, shaking his head. "I just . . . This pregnancy hasn't been the easiest thing for Ziva, and I knew she wouldn't call me unless it was something important."
Dr. Jefferson smiled. "Apology accepted. Though may I suggest something you could do for her, in addition to the Lamaze?"
"Sure, anything."
"Another way to relieve the pain of contractions from false labor is massage," he said, his voice quiet, likely so Ziva wouldn't overhear. "I know you said you weren't involved, but she seems to place a lot of trust in you. If you're the one she's calling in the middle of the night when this sort of thing happens . . ." He trailed off, his implication obvious.
McGee nodded. "Yeah, I get what you mean. Thanks. I'll definitely keep that in mind."
The door opened then and Ziva peeked out, smiling when McGee turned toward her and did the same. "I think I am ready to go home now," she said, and McGee nodded.
"Alright, just stop by the front desk on your way out and you should be good to go," the doctor said. "Good luck with everything."
"Thank you," Ziva said, and McGee touched her arm, guiding her from the room and to the front desk.
"Are your, uh, contractions doing better now?" he asked as they walked.
She nodded. "I think they are settling down now." She shook her head then. "I just feel foolish. I should have known it wasn't something serious."
"Hey, no," McGee said, pausing in their trek and stepping in front of Ziva. "It's better to be safe than sorry, especially in a case like this. And now that we know what it is, we know what we can do to make the rest of your pregnancy pain-free." He gave her a warm smile, which she returned, but her lips turned up into a smirk shortly after.
"You have certainly taken this role as my 'caretaker,' if you will, very seriously, Tim," she said, her smirk morphing into a full-blown grin then as she started laughing at the expression on his face.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "I do take it seriously . . ." he said, then added, "because everyone else is too afraid of you to do the job." He grinned at her and it was Ziva's turn to narrow her eyes at him.
"Touché," she said, and McGee held out his arm for her to take, the action the sign that they should call a truce. She raised an eyebrow, but slipped her arm though the space he had made and they continued to the front desk, where the nurse from earlier sat.
She looked up as they approached, smiling. "Everything work out alright?" she asked.
Ziva nodded. "Yes, it was a false alarm."
The nurse's smile widened. "I'm glad to hear that. I just need you to sign a few things and then you can be on your way." She handed Ziva some papers and McGee stood idly by while she wrote, until she tugged his arm, signaling she was finished.
"Thank you," Ziva said and the nurse nodded, watching them walk out.
"So, where to now?" McGee joked as they stepped outside, and Ziva rolled her eyes, smiling.
"I suppose you already know this, but I cannot say it enough," she said. "Thank you. I truly appreciate everything you have done for me, not just tonight, but over the past few months. I often feel as though I do not deserve such wonderful treatment."
McGee gave her a very light slap on the head. "Hey now, you most certainly do deserve it," he said, as Ziva gaped at him for having the gall to Gibbs slap her. He grinned down at her. "Now, come on. You didn't answer my question."
She gave him a look. "My place, I suppose."
"Why, Ziva, are you inviting me home with you?" McGee said flirtatiously. "I don't know. I'm not really that kind of guy."
"Well, I am already pregnant, so you do not have to worry about that," Ziva played along, grinning. He always knew how to make her feel better.
He grinned back at her. "In that case, I will gladly go home with you."
Ziva couldn't help but laugh and shake her head at the silliness of the conversation, but she also found herself wondering what it would be like if they had that sort of relationship. The kind where they went out to dinner and a movie, or a long walk hand-in-hand down the streets of Silver Spring, just breathing in the life of the city. Then they would return to her apartment and he would nuzzle her neck as she unlocked the door, and they'd barely make it inside before he had her turned around and captured her lips with his . . .
The last few images brought her back to reality with a small gasp, and McGee looked at her with a worried expression. "You okay? Did you have another contraction?"
Ziva's mind went blank as she attempted to cover her real thoughts. Finally, she said, "I am fine. It was nothing, just . . . something minor." She was sure her face was flushed, as she felt heat creeping into her cheeks, but McGee didn't seem to notice, just placed a hand on the small of her back, which sent a tingle through her system. She closed her eyes and willed herself to say, "I'd like to go home now."
"Sure, of course," McGee said quietly, and she started walking toward the car before he could, leaving him looking after her, frowning.
By the time they reached Ziva's apartment, she had pushed her earlier thoughts back down into the pit of her stomach and had relaxed. Whatever happened – or didn't happen – between them would be fine. It wasn't going to be anything easy, if they did happen into a relationship, but she was sure, she just knew, that she would be happy and that was all that mattered to her.
"You want me to come up?" McGee asked as he turned off the car. Ziva looked thoughtful and he continued. "You know, to take advantage of you, of course."
She turned to him, her mouth open in shock. "You are full of surprises tonight, Tim," she finally managed, and he shrugged.
"Must be the late hour. Makes me lower my inhibitions."
Ziva giggled at that and pushed open her door, stepping out and breathing in the cool night air. McGee echoed her action and joined her on the other side of the car, meeting her eyes briefly before they headed inside.
Once they were in the apartment, Ziva lifted her arms above her head and let out a loud yawn, making McGee grin.
"Tired?" he asked, and she nodded.
"It has been a long night. I am more than ready to go back to sleep."
"You want some company?" Ziva gaped at him, unsure what to make of his offer, and he laughed. "Not that kind of company. I just thought," he shrugged, "I'd stick around for awhile, make sure your contractions didn't come back or anything."
Ziva's expression softened and she smiled, then approached him, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. "That is very sweet of you. You may stay." She walked back to her bedroom, McGee following a safe distance behind her.
She climbed into bed, watching as McGee stood in the doorway, seemingly waiting for further instructions from her. "I thought you were joining me," she said, patting the opposite side of the bed.
"Ah, yeah, just making sure," he said before walking to the bed and sitting, then putting his legs up and leaning against the headboard. "Didn't want you to get the wrong impression."
Ziva laughed. "As I said earlier, I am already pregnant. And I know you would not try anything like that, anyway."
"You are very right, Ziva," he said, lacing his fingers together and sliding them behind his head, as Ziva settled into her side of the bed, feeling very safe in his presence. "Good night, Ziva."
"Good night, Tim," she murmured back, and it wasn't long before she was sleeping again . . .
. . . and while McGee had originally intended on staying until she fell asleep and then leaving quietly, that didn't happen, as his head drooped and he found himself sleeping next to her in a matter of minutes.
When McGee cracked his eyes open a few hours later, he took a few moments to adjust to the room and, confused, glanced over at the other side of the bed. His eyes widened and he found himself wide awake as he remembered he was in Ziva's bedroom and she was asleep next to him, her mouth open and soft snores coming from it. He shook his head. "I must have been really tired to be able to sleep with that going on," he whispered to himself, yet Ziva must have heard, because she shifted and rolled over, opening her eyes and looking up at him.
"Good morning," she said, her eyes still sleepy. "What time is it?"
McGee smiled at her, then glanced at the clock on her nightstand. "7:40," he reported, not thinking much about it . . . but then the time hit him and he stared at Ziva, and she stared back as it sunk in. "7:40!" he repeated, and they both found themselves scrambling out of bed, McGee turning in circles as he tried to figure out what he should do.
"Tim!" Ziva said, and he looked at her, panic in his eyes. "Call Gibbs, let him know we will be late. I will get dressed in the meantime, and then we can stop by your apartment so you can change clothes and let your neighbor know Jethro needs to be taken out."
He continued to stare at her for a few more moments, then blinked and nodded, getting down to business. "Right. Sorry. I'll . . . go call Gibbs." He exited the bedroom and Ziva shook her head, wondering if he would be the one freaking out and she would be the calm one when she went into labor.
. . . 45 minutes later, after a lot of rushing around and a frenzied drive, they arrived at NCIS and McGee nearly ran into the building before Ziva called his name and made him pause.
"Tim, relax," she said, walking up behind him, one hand on her stomach. "Gibbs already knows that we are late, so we should not have to worry so much about rushing now that we are here."
He frowned at her. "But it's Gibbs. He hates when anyone's late. He won't be happy."
Ziva rolled her eyes, pushing him forward, as he seemed to have forgotten about his rush to get inside. "Did you tell him why we were late?"
"Uh, no, I thought maybe you'd want to tell him," he said, and Ziva gave him an exasperated look, pushing him harder into the building. He looked over his shoulder at her. "What? Do you think he's really going to be mad?"
"It is not Gibbs I am worried about," she said and when McGee gave her a confused look, she added, "Once Tony finds out that we are both late and coming in together . . ."
"Oh, God," McGee muttered before hurrying his gait and slipping through security, leaving the guard with an amused look on his face.
They arrived in the squad room a few minutes later, and as they walked out of the elevator, they were greeted by Tony standing and clapping. "I've got to hand it to you, McGoo," he started, shaking his head, "you've got more skills than I thought. I mean, she's already pregnant and yet, it took you how long to get to work this morning?" He looked down at his watch to illustrate his point, then back up, but neither McGee nor Ziva were having any of his jokes.
"For your information, DiNozzo," McGee said, stepping closer to Tony, "we're late because I had to take Ziva to the emergency room last night, so we didn't get a whole lot of sleep."
Tony immediately sobered and shot Ziva a worried look. "You okay, Ziva?" he asked, and Ziva shook her head, but she directed it at McGee.
"Yes, I am fine. Someone overreacted and thought I warranted a trip to the hospital when it turned out I was having false labor pains." She gave McGee a pointed look and he returned it, placing his hands on his hips.
"Well, I'm sorry for wanting to make sure you weren't going to have a baby right there in your apartment!"
The squad room fell silent then as Tony looked back and forth between his teammates, not really sure how to respond. Finally, he said, "Man, it's like you're married already."
"Shut up, Tony!" came the simultaneous cry from both McGee and Ziva, and it was punctuated with a head slap from Gibbs, who had just entered the room and the conversation. That lightened up the atmosphere in the room considerably, leaving McGee and Ziva smiling again.
Gibbs walked up to Ziva then, giving her a serious look. "Are you okay to be at work, Ziver?" he asked, and Ziva nodded quickly.
"I will be fine, Gibbs," she assured him. "As I said, it was a false alarm, and the doctor gave us a way to relieve the pains I was having."
"What's that?" Tony piped up, but Ziva kept her eyes on Gibbs as she answered.
"Lamaze class."
As soon as she said it, McGee let out a low groan, and Ziva soon discovered why, as Tony was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, I just gotta," before laughing hysterically at the idea, his laughter only halted by yet another Gibbs slap. He quieted and smoothed his hair. "Thank you, Boss. Needed that."
Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Sure did, DiNozzo." He turned back to Ziva. "Anytime you think you can't be here, if you're in pain or whatever, you let me know."
"It is not a problem, Gibbs," Ziva insisted. "This class will hopefully help with the pains, and . . ."
"And what, Ziva?" Gibbs said. "One of these times, it's going to be the real thing . . ."
"And then I will let you know, or I will let Tim know, and everything will be fine. Really, Gibbs, I am pregnant, not incapacitated."
Gibbs stared down at her for what seemed like ages before he nodded. "You're right. And you have work to do." He turned and headed for his desk as Ziva glanced over at her own, her shoulders drooping at the large stack of folders sitting there.
Meanwhile, McGee was at his desk, holding the piece of paper Dr. Jefferson had given him with the Lamaze instructor's number on it, and he soon felt a presence behind him and stood up a little straighter, rolling his eyes. "Yes, Tony?"
"You really think this whole Lamaze class thing is going to work?" he asked. "I mean, this is Ziva we're talking about. Scary former Mossad assassin and all."
McGee turned around and raised an eyebrow at Tony. "Yeah, she's totally terrifying." He looked around Tony to where Ziva had logged on to her computer and, instead of working on the pile of files in front of her, was making awwing noises at the screen, presumably because she was shopping for baby supplies.
Tony made a face at the uncharacteristic display from their teammate, grumbling as he returned to his desk. "I better not have to listen to baby talk for a couple of years."
"Don't worry, Tony," Ziva said from her desk, still scrolling through pages of cribs and nursery decorations. "If I have not used baby talk on you already, chances are slim I will start now." That made McGee chuckle and Tony glared at him, then looked over at Ziva, who raised her head and gave him a smug smile. "Though if you are having troubles understanding me . . ."
"I understand you just fine, Zee-vah," he said, then turned back to McGee. "I can't believe you willingly chose this."
McGee smirked at him. "She's nice to me."
"Do not get so confident over there, Timothy," Ziva said from her desk, where she had opened the top file and was scanning it.
McGee frowned and Tony cackled to himself, leading Gibbs to say, "Third time's a charm, DiNozzo . . ."
Tony stopped laughing and sat down, clearing his throat. "Right, Boss. Getting to work."
McGee shook his head and sat down at his own desk, deciding the phone call could wait. If this was the way the day was starting out, he wanted to be alone when he made arrangements for their Lamaze class.
There was no way he was about to let Tony hear when and where the class would be held.
A/N: So, I know the Lamaze class isn't here yet, BUT good news everyone (as Professor Farnsworth would say . . . Futurama joke, sorry :P)! I have the next chapter ready to post already! I will post that tomorrow. :) So yeah, two updates in as many days! Hope you're still enjoying it, everyone!