Chapter 14

At 35 weeks Ziva had had enough. She was fed up with being the size of a house and she'd been order by her doctor, husband and boss not to go into work anymore, in fact she'd been ordered to go onto bed rest. There was an end in sight though, as much as she originally hated the thought and wanted so badly to do it naturally, her doctor had strongly urged Ziva to have a C-section 2 weeks early. The thought of 5 more weeks would have killed her now, she was glad to only have three left, she thought back to her own mother telling her that she and Tali had found her belly too comfortable, and that neither of them wanted to come out, they were both over two weeks late, the unknowing of when it would happen probably would have killed her, or Tony!

Tony was copping a fair bit of her anxiety and frustration. Something Gibbs slapped him at the back of the head regularly for whinging about and not being considerate. Of course he couldn't fully comprehend what she was going through, and he didn't complain to her, towards her, he acted like a perfect husband. He rubbed her feet and shoulders, took her verbal abuse for 'stupidly banging her up,' with out reminding her it took two to tango or that he's actually knocked her up. He ran to the 24hour deli down the road at 2am for her strange cravings and never once complained to her about any of it, after all she had the harder job, and was soon going to go though something that was completely inconceivable, child birth.

Ziva's biggest disappointment was work. She missed the thrill and the action. She missed working out, and sparring with Tony, solving cases and dazzling everyone with her insane ninja skills. She knew that the team was working on a big case at the moment, a terrorist was working on taking down some of the Navy's biggest, most top secret operations. So when she had a simple check up she didn't mind going alone, she was almost relieved by it, she was a little over his protectiveness and him talking to her stomach all the time, especially when he called her belly Nougat, even more when it was in front of people. She stepped outside her apartment excited to see the outside world. She got in her car and found she could hardly reach the steering wheel. She readjusted her seat and the wheel so she could drive. Admitting defeat, she got out of her car and haled down a passing taxi. She was almost happy that her usual doctor had called in sick and she was asked head into the hospital for her check up rather then go to her Doctors small surgery. The fact it was further away meant she was able to stay out longer, drive longer and it was all legitimate. No one could get on her case about doing so.

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Ziva sat in a waiting room full of loud screaming children who's pregnant mother's where paying no attention to them, happy couples talking to stomachs and walls smothered in clouds and bunnies and all that cutesy stuff she couldn't stand.

"Ziva David-DiNozzo?" a nurse behind the counter called. Ziva closed her 2002 Parenting magazine and placed it on the table in the middle of the waiting room. She walked up to the desk.

"I am Ziva David-DiNozzo."

"Kind off a mouth full that name isn't it?"

"I do not have a problem with it." Ziva replied, slightly terse by rainbows, clouds and bunnies on the wall, and because she was proud of being Ziva David-DiNozzo.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." The girl sheepishly apologised. "Please, follow me, you're in room 4 and your doctor will be with you soon." The young girl opened the door to room 4, and gestured for Ziva to go in. Ziva entered the room and the door closed behind her. She knew the routine, she prepared herself and then got into position for the doctor to examine her. She lay there, patiently waiting.

A few minutes later the door opened

"Sorry about the wait, with picking up all of Dr White's patients today, it's been crazy around here. "

"Jeanne?"

"Ziva..." She paused to collect her thoughts, "H-H-How are you? Looks like you're ready to pop." Distracted by her patient she fumbled for the box of gloves and pulled some out and started to put them on.

"I feel it. I thought you worked in the ER."

"Arh, I usualy do, but they've pulled me of rotaion there was so mych work in here today." Jeanne was obviously uncomfortable. "You look uncomfortable, are you uncomfortable?"

"A little."

"Just relax, I'll go and get you a glass of water."

"It is fine, I just meant…"

"No, I'll be back in a…"

"really Jeanne, I am fine, it's just my size, I"m still not used to it."

"Ziva, I'll be back in a second." Through Jeanne's smiling façade she was dying inside, and didn't really need to get Ziva some water, but needed to take a breath before she examined her ex-lover's pregnant wife. She entered the empty staff room across the hall, and fell back against the wall. "Come on Jeanne, pull it together." She attempted to coax herself. She took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water before taking a deep breath. Her phone started to vibrate in her white coat's pocket. Pulling it out she examined the lit up screen 'Jullien.' She answered the call. "I don't know that I can help you Jullien..." she listerned to the other end of the call. "I do, but I just.... fine, I'll think about it." She slammed the phone shut and returning to the examination room.

Walking in she handed the glass of water to Ziva, "Really, I just meant I was uncomfortable because my ankles are twice their normal size, it hurts when I move and I can no longer put shoes on by myself. I am not thirsty."

"Take the water Ziva, you need to keep hydrated."

"My bladder seems to be the size of a pea these days, I will be fine." Ziva said still not accepting the glass."

"Take it Ziva…." she ordered with a hint of aggression in her voice, "doctors orders," she continued a little sweeter this time. With that, Ziva took the glass, took a small sip and then placed it on the table next to her.

"So, lets see what's happening here then. Have the thought anymore about finding out the sex?"

"I have, and I would very much like to find out what I'm having."