Chapter 4: Guarded News and a Rough Night

When the pair got back to Ziva's room, her lunch tray was waiting on the bed table. Tony helped her into the bed and she adjusted the back so she could sit up comfortably. Tony slid the table over the bed and Ziva lifted the cover on the plate. Lunch was soup, a turkey and cheese sandwich, a fruit cup and apple juice and milk. Ziva handed Tony the sandwich and fruit cup. She asked him if he preferred the milk or the apple juice and he responded, "I'll just have water. You take both."

After they finished eating and the lunch tray was removed, Tony flipped on the TV and found a movie to watch. Ziva scooted over in the bed and motioned for Tony to sit on her left side. He wrapped an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on hers and they sat in silence for a bit, watching the movie.

"Zi?" Tony spoke quietly. "At some point, we are going to have to call someone to help me get one of our cars here. I also need some changes of clothes. Who should we call?"

"Um, are we going to say anything about the baby or why I am here?"

"Not that I planned on; I was just going to say that you're in for observation after the accident and the fight with Bodnar."

"Okay. I do not think we should call Abby, Gibbs, or McGee. Abby and Tim will worry too much and they might tell Gibbs. Also, I am not ready to deal with Gibbs just yet."

"Agreed; Autopsy Gremlin is a possibility, but Vance is out for sure. I think Ducky is the best choice."

"Yes, call Ducky. He knows how to stay quiet if we ask him to, and he will help any way he can."

Tony picked up his phone and pulled up Ducky's contact info. He hit 'call' and listened to the ringing.

"Dr. Mallard."

"Hello, Ducky; it's Tony."

"Hello, Anthony. How are you?"

"I'm okay. Ziva is in the hospital and I'm with her. We came in last night via ambulance. She's here for observation from her injuries from the accident and the fight with Bodnar. I need to ask a favor of you."

"Surely, dear boy."

"I need some clothes and at some point, to get a vehicle here. Would you come to the hospital and get my keys and get me some clothing, please?"

"Yes, I'll gladly help out. In what room is Ziva?"

"318."

"I'll be there in about forty minutes."

"Great, and Ducky, we don't want anyone else to know right now, okay? "

"As you wish."

"Thank you, Ducky." Tony ended the call and updated Ziva on what the doctor had said.

Ziva got up to use the bathroom, and Tony moved back to the chair. He explained to Ziva that since Ducky would be there in less than half an hour, he would stay in the chair until Ducky came back with clothes for Tony. "We don't need to make him suspicious by cuddling when he is here."

After Ziva settled back in the bed, they pair watched the rest of the movie while they waited for Ducky to arrive.

A knock on the door announced the doctor's arrival. "Hello, Ziva; hello, Anthony."

"Come in, Ducky," Ziva smiled at him as he walked over to her. He gave her a hug being careful not to hug too tightly, remembering her shoulder injury.

Tony pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Ducky, here are my keys. This one is for Ziva's apartment. If you could bring me two changes of clothes, that would be much appreciated. Jeans and t shirts are fine. My socks and underwear are in the top drawer of the tall chest. Jeans are in the closet and t shirts are in the second drawer of the chest. Thank you for helping out."

Ziva added, "There should be an empty weekend bag in the lower left side of the closet that you can use to pack it all up. Thank you, Ducky."

Ducky raised an eyebrow at Tony asking him to get the clothes from Ziva's apartment, but said nothing. He took the keys and promised to be back as soon as he could.

Forty five minutes later, he returned with the bag. He still said nothing about getting clothing for Tony from Ziva's apartment nor did he say anything about that he had noticed quite a bit of Tony's clothing in the closet and personal items on the top of the chest. What they did outside of work was none of his concern, and he actually was quite happy that the pair seemed to be finally moving into a relationship. Ducky visited a bit more and then said his goodbyes. "I'll be glad to help you when you decide to get your vehicle, Anthony. Just let me know when!"

"Thanks, Ducky."

About an hour after Ducky left, Dr. Garcia walked into the room. He swung the door for privacy and Tony turned the TV off. He took Ziva's hand in his, and squeezed it lightly.

"I have some good news and some not so good news. First, your baby appears to be healthy and developing normally. However, the new sonograms indicate that the recent injury has bruised part of the uterus and that has caused part of the placenta to separate from the uterine lining. What this means for you is that you are now in a high risk pregnancy, Ziva. We can try to control any adverse reactions from your body with medications that are safe for the baby. The magnesium sulfate is one option and you will be given another dose via IV.

"This also means that we will need to keep you in here another twenty four to forty eight hours for observation and in case something happens."

Tony swallowed hard, "Best case and worst case scenarios?"

"Best case is the pregnancy is normal and you have a healthy baby in six months. Worst case is a miscarriage."

Ziva took a sharp breath in. "No…" she whispered. Tears formed in her eyes, and Tony placed a hand on her cheek. He stroked the back of the hand he was holding with his thumb.

"We are going to think positive, Zi."

"Ye – es, Tony, I think," Ziva was trying to believe that everything would be okay, but she worried that her trauma from Somalia and the recent injuries would be too much for her body to carry the baby to term. Tears spilled from her eyes.

Dr. Garcia continued, "I'm sorry about worrying you. Right now, we just have to wait and help your body heal so that the baby will be safe and carried to term. Resting and avoiding strenuous activity is one way to do that. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Not right now," Ziva responded.

"We need some time to process this new development," Tony explained. "Thank you for being candid with us."

"I'll be back in the morning," Dr. Garcia left the room and he pulled the privacy curtain around the end of the bed as well as pulling the door partially closed as he left. He figured the couple would want some time to digest and discuss the news. They sat and held each other.

Thirty minutes later, Ziva's dinner tray arrived. The grilled chicken, pasta and steamed vegetables smelled delicious. Dessert was a cup of Jell-O and a cup of pudding. There were two containers of milk and another of apple juice. Tony looked at the food, and suggested that Ziva take all of the chicken and at least half of the vegetables. She offered him the pasta and the pudding plus the apple juice, but when he saw her eating the food hungrily, he changed his mind, "You eat the meal, Ziva. I'll go get something from the cafeteria while you are eating. Do you want anything else to eat?"

"A chocolate chip cookie if you can find one, please." Tony gave Ziva a kiss, and left to find himself some food. At the cafeteria, he bought a sandwich, two cookies and an apple, plus a cup of iced tea. He took the food back to Ziva's room and smiled at her when he entered the door. He held up the cookies and she grinned at him.

"One for you and one for me," Tony explained. "If you want the apple, you may have it."

"Toda, Tony." Ziva reached for her cookie, smiling at Tony again. He leaned over and kissed her gently.

"Remember that you're eating for two now, Zi." He grinned at her, that smile that he saved just for her.

After dinner, Tony pulled out a change of clothes from the bag Ducky brought him. He went to the bathroom and showered. He put on the clean clothing, folding the clothes that he had worn for nearly twenty four hours and putting them in a plastic bag. Ziva moved to the side and patted the bed for Tony to sit on her left side.

He sat down, wrapping his arm around her, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Ziva rested her head on his shoulders, and he rested his head against hers. They sat this way watching a movie on the TV for almost two hours. Ziva's meds were brought in and she took them with a few sips of water from the cup.

The pair fell asleep cuddled in the bed. About 0130, Tony awoke to Ziva moaning and moving in her sleep, spooned into him. He immediately realized that she was having a nightmare, and loosely wrapped his arms around her. He whispered the words he knew would calm her in her ear, "I'm here, Ziva. It's Tony and I have you safe. It's okay; you are having a nightmare. I have you. Ani ohev otach, Ziva. Ani ohev otach." He felt her relax into his arms, and when she whispered, "Ani ohevet otcha, Tony," he knew she was awake.

"It was bad this time, Tony. He was trying to take my baby, OUR baby." Ziva's voiced hitched, and he could tell she was trying not to cry.

"You can cry, Zi, I'll hold you as long as you need." Tony was glad she felt safe in his arms, and he was also a bit relieved that she was spooned, so that she could not see the tears in his eyes. They fell back asleep until almost 0630 when Ziva awoke with sharp pains in her abdomen. Tony sat up quickly when he realized that she was in pain, and was about to call the nurse when Dr. Garcia walked into the room.

"What is it, Tony?"

"She's in pain, doc. It seems to be really bad. Started about fifteen minutes ago. I was just about to call the nurse's station."

Dr. Garcia moved over to Ziva, who was curled into the fetal position on her left side. "Ziva, where does it hurt?"

"Abdomen," she gasped between stabbing pains. She suddenly felt something wet and sticky between her legs and moaned loudly. "I think I am bleeding again."

The doctor asked her to roll to her back, "I know it hurts, but I need to take a look and also feel your abdomen." Ziva nodded and reached for Tony's hand. He interlaced his fingers with hers, and used his other hand to turn her face towards him.

"Look at me, Ziva. Focus on me." Tony met her gaze, squeezing her hand lightly. She tightened her grasp on his hand and took a sharp breath in as Dr. Garcia palpated her abdomen.

"Tony, hit the call button, please." Tony did as he was asked.

"Nurse's station."

"This is Dr. Jose' Garcia with Ziva David in 318; bring the portable ultrasound cart to the room STAT."

"Yes, sir."

Ziva's eyes said it all, PANIC. She had tears rolling down her cheeks and Tony gently stroked her face with his free hand, wiping the tears away. He was trying very hard not to cry himself as he asked the doctor what was wrong.

"I think your baby is in distress. We are going to do a quick sonogram and then decide on a course of action." The cart and tech arrived as he said that. Ziva's tears fell faster and she held Tony's hand tightly. He couldn't stop his own tears at this point, and said a silent prayer that their child would be okay.

The tech quickly applied the gel and pulled up an image. Dr. Garcia took one look and told the nurse to find out when the OB/GYN surgery room was open. She came back in a few minutes, "It's available now."

"Prep her for a move to surgery." The doctor could see both Tony and Ziva watching him. "You are having a miscarriage, Ziva. I'm so sorry, but your injuries are too severe to let your body carry the baby to term. We'll go to the OR and perform a D&C: dilation and curettage. That procedure removes the contents of the uterus, in this case the fetus, the placenta and the uterine lining that was supporting the baby. What I saw on the ultrasound is that your baby's heart has stopped beating and the sac has separated from the uterine wall. Again, I'm so sorry."

Ziva was prepped for the move to the OR, and Tony walked as far as he could with her. In the waiting area, he sat with his head in his hands, tears falling freely. He picked up his phone, and sent a text message to Ducky, 'Ziva in surgery. Will let you know when she is out. Please don't say anything to the others yet. T'

Within a few minutes Ducky sent a reply, 'I can come there if you need me.'

'Not yet, but thanks, Ducky. Need to process this in my head first.' Tony put the phone back in his pocket. He got up and went to the restroom near the waiting area. He splashed water over his face, and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He looked like hell and he felt worse. Better to get the tears out now, so he could be strong for Ziva after the surgery. He sat back in the waiting room, staring at nothing with thoughts swirling around in his head. He had actually started to feel excited about becoming parents, and was looking forward to meeting their baby in six months or so. He felt as though his heart had been ripped out. The last time he had felt this way was when his mother died.

"Watch over our baby, Mommy. Help me and Ziva through this, please," Tony whispered. He closed his eyes, wanting the pain to go away, but knowing that it would never leave.

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, Dr. Garcia was gently shaking him awake. "Tony, Ziva is in recovery. She came through the procedure just fine physically. From what I can tell, you should have no problem getting pregnant again in three to six months, if you choose. She should be able to carry a baby to term in the future; you just need to give her body time to heal."

Tony nodded, his heart broken, "When can I see her?"

"She should be back in her room in about an hour, but she will probably sleep for several hours."

"Okay. Thanks, I guess."

The doctor put a hand on Tony's shoulder and squeezed gently, "It's okay to hurt and let her see that you are hurting too. She's going to need you as she recovers. I'll be by this evening to check on her and answer any questions you both may have. I'm so sorry, Tony."

Tony nodded and watched the doctor leave. He wandered to the cafeteria and bought himself another sandwich and a cup of iced tea. As he ate at one of the tables in the cafeteria, he decided to make sure Ziva got back to her room okay and then have Ducky take him to get his car. He would get some clothing for Ziva to wear when she was discharged and take his dirty clothes home. After he finished his food, he wandered back to Ziva's room. The bed had been freshly made and the room tidied. Tony sat in the chair and flipped on the TV, not really watching but taking comfort from the familiar background noise and images. About an hour after he got back to the room, Ziva was moved back.

She was sleeping and the orderly moved her to the bed. Tony took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb over the back of it. She looked so vulnerable and sad in her slumber. His heart broke all over again. He vowed to himself that they would get through this, they would be each other's support system and it would make them stronger together. "Ani ohev otach, Ziva," he whispered over and over as he used his free hand to caress her face and head.

A nurse came to check on Ziva. "How long will she sleep?" Tony asked.

"Probably at least four or five hours."

"Thanks." Tony decided to call Ducky after the nurse left. He pulled his phone from his pocket and swiped the screen, pulling up Ducky's contact info. He pressed call and waited for the answer on the other end.

"Doctor Mallard."

"Ducky," Tony's voice broke.

"Anthony, what is it?" The doctor's voice spoke his concern.

"I'll explain when you get here, Ducky. How soon can you come?"

"In about an hour okay?"

"Yes. Come to Ziva's room. And, Duck, not a word to anyone yet, please. I'll be getting my car today as well. Thanks."

"I will see you shortly, Anthony." Ducky ended the call and prepared to head to the hospital.