Five-thirty found Tony sitting in the exam room with Ziva, holding her hand as she lay on the table. They were quiet, both wondering what the tests would say and hoping it was good news. Mandy walked in a few minutes later and smiled at the couple.
"I'm glad you both could come today."
Ziva forced herself to sit up a little. "Do you have the results?" She was not interested in beating around the basket today.
Bypassing the question, Dr. Meyers perched on her stool. "How are you feeling this week?"
"Very tired." Ziva avoided the woman's gaze. "I fell in the shower on Saturday."
Mandy frowned, that didn't sound good. "Care to elaborate?"
Ziva looked at Tony and he explained. "Only on her knee, but it kinda shook us up."
"Yes..." Mandy said slowly. "I can understand that. She sighed and caught Tony's eyes, nodding towards the hallway.
He took the hint, brushing his hand over Ziva's hair, and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back sweetheart," he promised. She nodded tiredly and her eyes slid closed again. Tony followed the doctor, concern filling his expression. "What's wrong?"
Dr. Meyers looked down at her clipboard. "I have the test results from last week and..." she hesitated and Tony's heart dropped. "Ziva was extremely unhealthy when she returned from Africa. Aside from the injuries and dehydration, she was acutely malnourished and underweight. At that point no one, especially Ziva, knew she was pregnant. Her recovery has been slow and often took a step in the wrong direction. And even though it's been six months, she's still not back to normal."
Tony crossed his arms and mimicked Gibbs. "The point, Mandy?" Her explanation seemed like the long way around something she didn't particularly want to say.
"Basically the baby is sucking all the nutrients and energy out of Ziva's body. It's why she hasn't been gaining weight properly and why she's felt so tired recently."
Tony's brow furrowed. "So what do we do?"
Mandy glanced at the closed exam room door. "I'd like to do a c-section in two weeks. Thirty-six weeks gestation gives the baby the best chance without taking too much more out of Ziva. At this point if things keep going like they are, I don't think she has the strength to go through labour and delivery."
Tony clenched his jaw. "Ziva's too protective of ou-" He cleared his throat and paused, feeling the empty spot on his ring finger deeply. He was still three weeks away from having any rights to them. "Of the baby," he continued, "to let you do anything until he or she decides they're ready to be born. She won't agree."
Mandy nodded, having come to the same conclusion. "Then I'll need your permission Tony, if you want to get both of them through this."
"I can't..." he ran a hand down his face. "I can't make a decision like that without talking to Ziva."
"I'll give you a couple minutes with her before I come back in," Dr. Meyers said, turning away. Then she remembered something. "Tony? I don't know if I need to tell you this or not, but with the wedding approaching..." The doctor crossed her arms and stared at him seriously. "Trying to have sex would be dangerous right now for both Ziva and the baby, even if she was ready, which I don't think she is. So regardless of what normally happens on wedding nights, I have to be very firm about that not being allowed."
Tony leaned against the wall and slid his hands into his pockets. "I know she's not ready Mandy. We've got a whole lot of other hurdles to cross before physical intimacy is even an option. Even if she wasn't pregnant, I still wouldn't be trying anything yet. Trust me, I want what's best for her too."
Mandy gave him a small smile. "Okay. Now go talk to her. Hopefully we can make the right decision for both of them."
Taking a deep breath, Tony went back in and sat on the chair beside Ziva. He covered her hand with his and Ziva opened her eyes. "What did Mandy say?" she asked, blinking as she tried to shake off the exhaustion that was starting to become a constant thing.
Tony lifted her hand and kissed the back. "This pregnancy is taking a lot out of you Ziva," he began, trying to make the news sound less devastating. "Mandy wants to do a c-section two weeks from now. She thinks it would be best for you and the baby."
Ziva was already shaking her head. "That's too early Tony, she needs more time to grow."
"Zi," Tony's voice grew serious, "if this keeps up you won't have the stamina to make it through labour."
Ziva touched her belly gently. "I need to do what is best for...for our baby, Tony," she whispered, the first time she'd dared to claim him as her child's father out loud, even though he had been 'Daddy' since their engagement.
Knowing an argument would not change her mind, Tony merely rested his head on her shoulder and Ziva's fingers combed through his hair. "I love you," she murmured in Hebrew just before the door opened.
"Ziva," Mandy began, "did Tony explain everything to you?"
Ziva struggled to sit up and Tony immediately slid his arm around her back and helped her change positions. Her expression brooked no argument. "I will not give my baby less of a chance to be as healthy and developed as possible."
Mandy smiled. "I figured as much." Ziva looked confused. "So I'm putting you on partial bedrest," the doctor announced. Ziva's eyes widened in protest but Dr. Meyers shook her head. "That's the deal Ziva. You want to make it to forty weeks, to your due date, then you'll follow my instructions to the letter." The Israeli drew her eyebrows together but said nothing.
"First - you're done with this workout routine you've been keeping. I know how much you like to be active, but there will be nothing strenuous allowed for the next six weeks and for six to eight weeks after birth as well, depending on how you're doing. When you're tired sleep or rest on the couch. Sleep is not going to hurt either of you. No cleaning except simple dusting and dishes, light cooking only. I want you eating plenty of protein to try to up your energy levels and you need to make sure for both your sakes that you have something at every meal whether you feel like it or not."
Between Ziva and Tony, the doctor had concluded that getting the pregnant woman to eat was sometimes an issue, but it couldn't be allowed when two lives were depending on how well she took care of herself. Discouragement settled on Ziva's face as Mandy continued, looking between the couple. "And I think you should consider moving the wedding up, because you're going to need the help Ziva. It won't be long before even things like showering and dressing will require more effort than you can give."
Ziva's grip on Tony's hand tightened and she dipped her head. "I will do whatever needs to be done to make sure my baby gets here safely."
"Alright." Mandy made a note in the patient file. "I'll see you next week then Ziva. Call me if you change your mind."
"I will not," Ziva assured her doctor.
The door closed and Tony helped her stand. "Come on Zi, let's go over to my place for awhile."
"Tony," she sighed, "I do not need watching over."
He raised an eyebrow. "Did you just hear the same conversation I did? You do need looking after and guess what?" He touched her engagement ring. "It's my job now."
Ziva huffed in annoyance. "I will not be a burden," she muttered.
Tony smiled and kissed her cheek. "No, you won't be. You're the woman I love and I enjoy being able to take care of you."
Ziva frowned even as she leaned into him for support while she slipped her shoes back on. How could she argue with something like that? But just to show that she still got a say, she jutted out her chin. "I want grapefruit first."
Tony chuckled. "Okay. We'll stop on the way back. Anything else?"
Her spirits fell. "Nothing you can give," she replied.
He kissed her temple. "It's going to be fine Zi, I promise."
Ziva shook her head slowly. "No. You cannot promise that Tony. Please do not make one you will be unable to keep."
Tony hugged her then, the look in her eyes all but haunting him with visions of all the things that could still go wrong. "I love you Ziva." It was all he could think to say because she was right. He couldn't fix this, he couldn't make it better. All he could do was make sure he was there for her, whatever came next.
NCIS
After a quick stop at the grocery store for the aforementioned craving and the time Tony took when Ziva was busy selecting her fruit to text Gibbs and let him know coming back to the office wasn't an option today because his fiancee needed him, the couple returned to Tony's house. Despite protests, he insisted she lay down on the couch while he started dinner.
"Chicken stirfry okay?" Tony asked.
Ziva gave a sleepy sound of agreement and nodded off almost immediately. Tony watched her for a moment before walking into the kitchen. He loved that everywhere he looked in the house, Ziva's touch was visible. Ever since Duke had banned one of his favourite members from Ops three weeks ago, Tony and Ziva had been spending at least four nights out of seven together. It just felt right. And in less than a month this house would be theirs, not only his, and Ziva would live here, not just come over during the week to be with him. Tony smiled to himself as he got out all the ingredients and a cutting board. Ziva had taught him well.
He was just finishing supper when a noise from the livingroom alerted him. Tony flipped the burner off and raced over to the couch. Ziva was crying in her sleep, her cheeks wet with tears, her expression reflecting whatever she was seeing. Kneeling beside her, Tony touched her cheek. "Zi? Baby? Come on honey, wake up."
Her eyes flew opened, not panicked as with a normal nightmare but rather achingly heartbroken when her gaze fell on him. "Tony...Tony..."
His heart hurt at the tone in her voice. "I'm here Ziva. What's wrong?"
Her hand clutched at his. "I want you to marry me now Tony. If something happens and Mandy has to take the baby sooner..." She looked away. "I just want her to be yours, in case."
Tony felt stricken as her meaning sank in. "Zi, don't even think like that. I can't do this without you."
Her eyes softened at the fear in his voice. "You will be a wonderful father my love, with or without me there." Ziva's gaze sharpened. "Promise me you will still love her even if something happens."
Tony's hand moved to her bump and he closed his eyes. "I promise Ziva. She'll be my daughter either way." He was so certain their baby was going to be a girl.
"Will you marry me then? Sooner than we planned?" she persisted, needing to know.
He kissed her slowly before answering. "I thought you'd never ask," he teased, trying not to show his concern. "How about Wednesday?" So what if they had to change everything and move the date up? If it would make Ziva feel better to say their vows 3 weeks earlier, he would do it. It wasn't like he wanted to wait anyways.
Ziva smiled. "Thank you."
"Anything for you beautiful," Tony told her, grinning as he assisted her off the couch. "Now come on, supper is getting cold."
NCIS
Once their dishes were washed and leftovers put away, Tony took a seat on the coffee table facing his fiancee. "I think you should stay here tonight."
Ziva crossed her arms. "I am pregnant Tony, not invalid."
Her inflection changed the meaning of the word and Tony bit back a smile. "No, you're not invalid, nor are you an in-val-id. But it wasn't easy to hear what Mandy told us earlier and I'd just...really like it if I knew you were right upstairs instead of a ten minute drive away."
Out of energy to argue, Ziva got a sulking look on her face. "Whatever."
He stood up and kissed her forehead, glad to have won this round but not really feeling victorious. "Thank you." Tony stared towards the kitchen to put on popcorn. "You can pick the movie."
Rolling her eyes but not really wanting to be mad at him for caring, Ziva stood to look through his DVD cases. "Do not forget the cheese."
He knew better than to comment about the state of her tastebuds at this point and simply took the request in stride. "You got it."
Two hours later, after seeing Ziva safely asleep in his room, Tony turned off most of the lights and sat on the stairs, able to let his fears and feelings surface for the first time since they left the doctor's office. When he thought about Ziva's dream and her urgent need to see them married right away, Tony could barely swallow because his throat was so tight. He reached up to rub his face and his hand came away wet.
So much for things DiNozzo men don't do, he thought without mirth.
At that point Tony sighed and pulled out his cellphone, dialing the direct number for a voice he desperately needed to hear. But it was not the one who answered the phone. "Hello lab," an unfamiliar woman said and he was confused until he remembered about Abby's new assistant.
"Uh, hi." Tony couldn't think of her name so didn't bother trying to guess. "Is Abby there?"
"Just a moment," she replied and the line was quiet for all of five seconds before Abby's welcoming voice rang through loud and clear.
"Tony!"
He had to smile. "Hey Abs. Having fun with your new secretary?"
Her sigh was barely audible. "Not that I had a choice because it was Gibbs' orders, but for an assistant, Tami's not so bad." Then he could almost hear her frown through the phone. "What's wrong?"
Tony stalled. "I call to say hello to my favourite forensic scientist and something has to be wrong?"
She gave an indignant huff. "You didn't come back to work today. We're in the middle of an active case and Gibbs isn't growling about firing your butt for taking vacation time without permission." Abby's tone gentled. "And your voice is a dead giveaway big brother. What's going on?"
He was having a hard time keeping it together. "Can you get everyone on conference call with me?"
Abby didn't like the way that sounded. "Just family, right?" The new guy and her assistant did not count.
"Yeah," he exhaled slowly, "just family."
"Give me a minute," she said, putting him on hold. Abby looked over at her assistant. "Tami, why don't you take a break? It's been a long day. I'll text you when I need you back."
Having quietly observed the conversation from this end, Tami nodded and gathered her things, leaving without comment. Whatever was going on sounded personal and she hadn't been around long enough to have that kind of clearance.
Abby sealed the lab after Tami's exit and her first call was to her husband. "Hey babe," he answered and she knew Gibbs wasn't in the room, "got anything for us?"
She couldn't keep the fear out of her voice. "Timmy?"
Switching from agent to husband mode in a split second, he started to get up. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is it the baby?" He knew things could go wrong early on and it sometimes kept him awake at night.
"It's not me," she reassured him, "but I need you."
"On my way."
That taken care of, Abby gauged the danger of calling Gibbs in case he was doing an interrogation, but decided it was worth the risk. After all, she was the favourite for a reason. "Yeah, Gibbs," he answered, and because of traffic noises she figured he was on his way back from getting coffee.
"It's me." She bit her lip. "Stay on the line, find somewhere to sit."
Gibbs' voice was gruff, as usual. "What's going on Abby?"
"Tony called," was all she said before putting him on hold and hitting the button for Autopsy.
"Autopsy," Jimmy's cheery voice announced seconds later. "Dr. Mallard is with a patient right now, can I he-"
"Jimmy, it's Abby," she said, having no time to talk any more. "I'm patching you and Ducky through to the rest of the team. Tony needs to talk to us."
At that moment a loud banging came from outside and Abby unlocked the door long enough to let her husband in. Immediately she threw herself into his arms and tried not to cry. Tony needed her to be strong, whatever this was about. "Something's wrong," she whimpered against his shirt. Then she pulled away and gave him a headset, slipping hers on as well. "It's Tony," she said before taking him off hold. "Okay, you've got all of us."
Gibbs spoke first when Tony didn't. "You took Ziva to her doctor's appointment today."
"Yeah," Tony confirmed, "and it wasn't good news."
"Is something wrong with the baby?" Abby ventured to ask, and McGee took her hand.
"No," Tony shook his head even though they couldn't see him, "the baby's fine. But Ziva..." he trailed off.
"Anthony," Ducky began in a soothing manner, "just tell us."
"She wasn't healthy enough for this pregnancy Ducky," Tony blurted out, unable to keep it in any longer. "Now the baby's taking everything and there's not enough left for Ziva."
"Ah, I see," Ducky said, understanding the medical side of it. But instead of elaborating on the wealth of details he could share, the older man fell silent and waited for Tony to continue.
"This exhaustion that she's been fighting since last week, it's going to get worse." He wiped his eyes again, glad the tears weren't in his voice. "The doctor said we should move the wedding up because she's going to need help with everything soon." Tony let out a breath. "Mandy put her on bedrest."
McGee found words quicker than the rest. "What can we do Tony?"
Tony gave a broken chuckle. "Ziva wants to get married on Wednesday. Is that possible?" They'd only just started planning. How could they do in a day what they were supposed to spend three weeks putting together?
Gibbs was next. "We'll make it happen." For Ziva and for Tony they'd move all the monuments in DC if that's what it took.
"What do you need?" Abby wanted to know, desperate to do something.
"Uh..." Tony thought about their list. "I can find a Justice of the Peace and call my buddy who's taking pictures. Ducky, can you get one of those arch thingys for us to stand under? And maybe arrange for some snack foods for after?"
"Certainly," the ME agreed. "Mr. Palmer and I will do that first thing in the morning."
"Abby, I need you to track down some music for me and burn it to a CD to play during the ceremony. I'll text you the list. And if you could pick up the flowers for Ziva's bouquet and yours the morning of the wedding, that would be great."
"Not a problem," Abby said eagerly, happy to help.
"McGee, if you and Jimmy can take care of set up and take down, I'd appreciate it."
"Sure thing."
They could hear a hint of a smile in Tony's next words. "Okay, so that's it for the wedding that I can think of right now, but I have one more big favour to ask and then Black Lung, I have a mission for you."
He felt more confident now that the others knew and they had a plan. He just hoped they could get it all taken care of in time. It would be their only wedding and Ziva deserved the best.