Chaya's four am feeding did not go well. She was fussy because they woke up late and kept latching and unlatching as she snacked rather than ate, bringing Ziva very close to tears with the pain. It was five before she could be soothed to sleep and then it started all over again two hours later.
Ignoring the clock, Tony and Ziva stayed in bed until noon and then decided to get up and shower. They were tired but had the urge to do something. Both were extremely glad Tony didn't have to go to work and he made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, much to Ziva's amusement.
Two-thirty found them back in their room with a hungry baby. When Chaya finished eating, Ziva handed the baby to her father. "She needs a bath."
Tony raised his eyebrows and drew a circle on Chaya's tummy around the umbilical cord stump they'd been careful not to touch. "I thought we weren't supposed to get this wet."
"A sponge bath then," Ziva amended and got up to start gathering what they needed.
She came back with a clean cloth, the hooded bunny towel they'd purchased, a clean diaper and wipe, a new outfit, a cup and the empty baby tub. She filled it a few inches with warm water from the shower and brought the bottle of baby shampoo from Jackie out as well.
Ziva set everything up on the floor and Tony joined her with Chaya, laying his daughter down to carefully undress her. Ziva wet the washcloth and wiped the baby's eyes - which she didn't like - then her nose and ears. Dipping it in the warm water again, she gently washed Chaya's face and moved onto Step Two.
"Hold her head over the tub," she instructed her husband. Tony looked confused and Ziva rolled her eyes. "Just hold her like a football."
The example helped and Ziva poured water out of a cup over Chaya's hair. The baby squirmed but didn't otherwise protest and Tony adjusted his hands to keep her from falling. With gentle fingers Ziva massaged the shampoo over Chaya's head and rinsed the lather off. Then Tony laid Chaya down on the towel again and took the cloth to clean behind her ears, her neck, arms, back, tummy and legs with Ziva patting the skin dry after.
Last was a diaper change, using wipes first and then the cloth to make sure her bum was really clean. The newly washed, happy naked baby lay before them for only a few seconds before she was in a clean diaper, having her hair rubbed dry and ready to be re-dressed.
But since she wasn't dressed yet, Tony took off his shirt and lay on the bed with her. The little girl fell sound asleep to the sound of her daddy's heartbeat and Ziva let them both nap for awhile before she lifted the baby off and swaddled her for warmth before putting her down in the bassinet.
With that done, she curled up next to her husband and lay listening to him breathe, her fingers trailing through his chest hair and enjoying the warmth of his skin. Tony woke up to the feeling and kissed her until Ziva pushed him away with a shake of her head and a smile that promised more later.
The couple slept until Chaya's next feeding and then had supper. Being awake and doing things had taken a surprising amount of energy and they were getting ready for bed a couple hours later. Ziva spread out one of Chaya's nicer blankets on her side and settled in, her daughter's bunny tucked in her arms. Tony came back from brushing his teeth and gaped at her.
"Have I been replaced?" he asked, pointing at the animal.
Ziva glared at him. "It was Mandy's idea, do not laugh." Tony tried hard to obey but a chuckle escaped and her eyes narrowed. "You are mocking me."
He bit his lip. "I just didn't see you as the type who needed a security item. Y'know, being a ninja and everything."
She sat up and threw her pillow at him. He caught it, laughing, and kissed her before he got into bed. "I love you Ziva, stuffed toys and all."
"If you take a picture, I will kill you in your sleep," she warned. "Maybe with a diaper. I am sure they are good for smothering."
Tony's eyes lit up. "I didn't even think of that. But now that you gave me the idea..." He should've known better than to taunt a former assassin and even though it was a warning, the punch he caught in the stomach still hurt.
"Ow," he complained, rubbing the spot.
"Baby," she muttered, rolling over.
Tony was smart enough to wait a few minutes before he tried to cuddle with her. "Still love me?"
She nodded. "Even when you are a pain." Ziva relaxed in his arms and Tony closed his eyes, knowing that in an hour or two they'd be up again. Right now he'd trade his least favourite movie for five hours of solid sleep.
NCIS
By early Tuesday morning Ziva's breasts were feeling much better. Chaya's one am feeding had lasted longer than the others, leaving her relatively pain-free and much less swollen and tender than the last two days. The routine of feeding and sleeping continued until nine am when Tony left Ziva sleeping in bed to get some things on his list done.
He went down two flights to scope out the basement and see what needed to be done to turn the front half of it into a workout room/dance studio. He wanted a place for a punching bag and treadmill, weights and also a bar and mirror to practice her ballet moves with. The floor could be mostly mats with a section of wood flooring and Tony paced it out to figure the size.
Making some notes to check cost estimates for materials and equipment, he decided he'd have to find a way to get Ziva out of the house for a couple hours on a regular basis so work could get done. Tony knew because it was for Ziva he could rope Gibbs and McGee into helping him with the heavy lifting and the building required.
The right side of the room he didn't bother with. It currently had Ziva's old TV, couch and coffee table in it, but there was still space to make it into a playroom later on. With that taken care of, he picked up the phone. Ziva's standing Tuesday appointment would not be happening today and Devon at least deserved to know why.
After three rings her assistant answered and put him through to Devon. "Dr. Andrews."
"Hi Devon," he began, "It's Tony DiNozzo."
Devon dropped her pen. "Is Ziva okay?"
He chuckled. "Depends on when you ask. Taking care of a newborn is keeping both of us pretty busy."
The doctor's mouth fell open. "She had the baby already? When?"
"Very early Thursday morning," Tony reported.
Almost afraid to ask, Devon made a face. "How'd it go?"
"Seven hours of labour," he replied, "and being the stubborn woman she is, didn't bother to mention it to me until she was almost halfway into it. But things went well and the c-section wasn't necessary."
"I'm glad," Devon breathed a sigh of relief. "So, I'm not going to be seeing her at eleven."
Tony shook his head. "No. Mandy tasked me with keeping her in bed as much as possible for the next couple weeks while I'm off and Ziva's recovering. But I guarantee she'll be stir crazy by the weekend so maybe we'll come in for her appointment on the eighth."
Devon made a note. "Only if she's up to it. Congratulations Tony, give Ziva my regards."
"I will. Bye Devon." Tony hung up and looked around the downstairs, trying to figure out where to start with cleaning.
Ziva came downstairs after Chaya's feeding and her shower, just in time to sample the sandwiches and salad Tony was putting together for lunch. He was trying to use up all the perishable in the fridge before they began relying totally on the pre-made meals from their friends.
She dug into the apple salad like she hadn't eaten in weeks and Tony smiled when she closed her eyes in pleasure. Ziva looked up. "I sleep through breakfast so often now and do not realize how hungry I am until I taste food."
Tony took a big bite of his sandwich. "Looks like I need to do a better job of feeding you."
Ziva swallowed and pointed her fork at him. "We need to focus on rest this week." At the look he gave her, she shrugged. "Shall I say it?" When he nodded eagerly, she sighed. "You were right." Tony grinned with glee but coughed and tried to hide it when her expression became a warning. "You can work on feeding me more often next week."
Tony chuckled and looked at his watch. "Any plans for the afternoon?"
She snorted. "I am going back to bed after her next feeding."
He smiled. "That sounds pretty good to me." A yawn followed his words and Ziva lifted an eyebrow.
"Why did you get up early?"
Tony shrugged. "I had things to do," he said vaguely, looking around. "You're doing all the hard work of breastfeeding, the least I can do is keep up with the cleaning so our house stays mildly presentable."
She smirked. "I bet we could get the team to volunteer as household help."
He nodded. "Maybe, if you asked Abby first. But I think I can handle being a domesticated house-husband for a couple weeks before we call in reinforcements."
Ziva laughed softly, remembering the case he referred to and they finished their lunch.
Chaya was up less than an hour later and soon after she finished nursing, both Tony and Ziva returned to bed for some much needed sleep. Later that evening, Chaya refused to settle after eating and the tired new parents took turns pacing around the downstairs with her. Tony figured out that she liked it when he swayed back and forth and added a little bounce to his movements. But when that didn't work for long and all else failed, snuggling on Mom's bare skin was the cure and the baby fell asleep in minutes.
Ziva just sat there rubbing her back gently and breathing in Chaya's scent. She could never get enough of it. The sweet weight of her baby was something Ziva didn't want to part with, but evenings were becoming a time for her and Tony to spend together and that was important enough for her to take Chaya to bed instead of staying on the couch.
When she returned downstairs Tony already had a movie playing. Ziva leaned down and kissed him slowly, something she was trying to remember to do at least once every day, before settling down beside him and retrieving her blanket. It was almost finished and she was eager to see her handiwork displayed in her daughter's crib. It was just one more thing that made her feel like a mom.
NCIS
Around two-thirty am, after she was fed and changed, Chaya decided she wasn't going to sleep. But instead of being fussy like before, now she only cried if they put her down. So Tony and Ziva took turns cradling their baby and enjoying how alert she was even though it was the middle of the night.
Tony scooted closer to Ziva and bent to kiss Chaya's head. "Look who's a beautiful wide awake girl. Not sleepy even after that nice warm breastmilk princess?"
The little girl surveyed him with dark blue eyes as if she was soaking in every word he said. Finding himself with a captive audience, Tony turned on his thousand watt grin. "I think you like being the center of attention little one, with me and Mommy all to yourself."
"Kind of like your daddy," Ziva murmured, brushing her fingers over Chaya's fine curls.
Tony made a face at his wife. "Not exactly where I was going with that."
"But it is true, n'est-ce pas?"
"Too tired to stick to one language ninja?" he teased gently.
Ziva closed her eyes. "They are getting all tumbled together. It is a good thing she is too young to be confused."
"I can take her," he offered and Ziva relinquished her daughter, sliding down a bit and shifting pillows to get comfortable.
"Thank you."
"We're supposed to be doing this together, right?" Tony wracked his brain for a good one sided conversation to have with the baby and settled on a lecture about the best silent films. It didn't exactly have the effect of lulling her to sleep as he'd hoped, though Ziva stifled a yawn or two. He frowned. "I'll try not to take that personally."
She waved her hand. "I have heard this rant before."
Tony pouted and then looked at Chaya. "Hopefully you'll soak up some of the movie experience I have to offer kiddo." The baby blinked and her eyes were definitely getting heavier. He got another idea and stood up to walk the floor. His voice was soft and low as he began a lullaby rendition of Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E.
"L is for the way you look at me/O is for the only one I see/V is very, very extraordinary/E is even more than anyone that you adore can love."
The sound of his singing finally carried Chaya into dreamland and when he stopped, Ziva smiled and opened her eyes a crack. "I love you."
Tony grinned and leaned over to kiss her before laying Chaya down. "That song applies to us too babe." He returned to bed and took her in his arms.
"Love is all that I can give to you/Love is more than just a game for two," he crooned into her ear. "Two in love can make it/Take my heart but please don't break it/Love is made for me and you."
Ziva sighed contentedly, snuggling back even further into his embrace. "I will take care of your heart Tony."
He kissed her temple. "And I will cherish your trust, mio amore."
The love between them was almost something that could be reached out and touched. And even if they might only sleep for an hour, Tony knew these were the best moments and this was what he wanted every day for the rest of his life.
NCIS
Tony smiled down at his wife who lay with one arm up by her head, the other across her stomach. Wild brown hair was splayed over the pillow and the ivory sheet was pulled up to cover her chest. She looked so utterly kissable right now that he couldn't help himself. He rested one hand on her hip and leaned down to brush her lips lightly with his.
Despite his gentle touch, Ziva still jerked in surprise and tried to move. He kept his hand holding her and used the other to push back her hair. "Hey," Tony said softly, "easy Zi, it's only me."
Ziva instantly relaxed and closed her eyes again. "You would think that after this long I would get used to having a man in my bed."
"And not just any man," he grinned, "but your very own husband."
She smiled but didn't open her eyes. "I really like the way that sounds."
Tony lifted her left hand and kissed her fingers. "Do you now? Well I love every time I get to introduce you as Ziva DiNozzo."
"A new life, a new name," she said philosophically. "It is strange not to sign David. I did not think it would ever change."
"But you're not sorry it did, right?" His confidence seemed to need constant reassurance about this momentous step they'd taken, even though it was far too late for either of them to turn back now.
Ziva finally looked at him, her eyes caressing his face with a tenderness he'd never even hoped to see. "Tony, do I have to say it again?"
Tony bit his lip. "Well, it has been at least four hours since the last time. And you were half asleep, I'm not sure it counted."
She rolled her eyes. "We should all be asleep at three in the morning. But your daughter was hungry."
He smirked. "Mine huh?"
Ziva waved her hand. "Are not parents supposed to blame it on the other one when a child is out of line?"
"A newborn being hungry is out of line?"Tony protested incredulously.
She considered this. "No. I suppose if my stomach was only the size of a large marble, I would be hungry every two hours as well."
"So?" he asked.
Ziva eyed him as if she had no idea what he was talking about. "So what?"
He frowned. "Are you going to say it?"
She reached up to touch his face. "I love you Tony. I have loved you since..." Ziva trailed off, unable to pinpoint the exact moment.
Tony realized he'd never asked her that either. "When did you start loving me Ziva?"
She shrugged helplessly, coming up empty in her mental search. "I do not know. Somewhere between being broken and starting to heal. Between the terror of the dreams and the comfort of your arms. Between pushing you away and letting you get close. I do not remember when, but I knew that I loved you the night you were sick and I stayed on the couch."
A slow smile spread across his face. "That was the first time you knew you loved me? Before I got the house and let you decorate it? Before the piano? Before I all but told you and then chickened out?"
Ziva held onto that memory, of sitting in the livingroom with him. "It was written all over your voice and your touch. But somehow it still surprised me when you said those words in your proposal."
Tony snorted. "Longest proposal on record. Most guys keep is simple, four little words. I had to tell you everything all at once. I was so afraid you were going to say no."
She slid her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down to kiss him. "No was not an option," Ziva said simply, unable to imagine a different outcome than the life they now shared, and he had to kiss her again just for saying it.
Then Chaya cried and interrupted the moment and Tony left to get her. It was nice to hear the things he didn't know, but even better to hear them now that she was his. Ziva and Chaya, they were his miracles every day. Nothing compared to the gift of getting to hold them and knowing that he would love them forever and ever, with all of his heart.