A/N: Long story short, writers block. Really sorry for a late update. It's been killing me. Anyways, without further ado..
Chapter 15
"How is she?" Tony asks as he inhales sharply, his body leaning against the door frame from the older woman's room.
After solving the case and arresting the perpetrator, (which have ultimately took quite some hard thinking and tough hours) Tony checks his phone - only to concede that there were 3 missed calls and 7 text messages from Ziva. All containing one name other than her own. Helen's.
"The doctor said it was a severe heart attack. They gave her medicine to prevent existing blood clots from getting larger. They are not sure how long it will last."
Tony nods, his lips presses together firmly. "At least she's going to be okay, right?"
Ziva scoots closer to Helen, placing her hand on top of the older woman's. Deep inside Ziva prays to God that she will get through this because, after all, Helen is practically a mother to her. "I do not know."
Tony walks over to Ziva and squeezes her shoulder reassuringly. "She will. Helen's tough."
A sudden noise interrupts the unwelcomed silence. The kind of buzzing and beeping that make Tony's head throb. Two nurses and a doctor burst through the door as Ziva jolts up from the chair, the noises obviously coming as a surprise. The one nurse hurriedly brings the two out of the room, leaving them with many questions unanswered. Mumbling reassuring words although, Ziva and Tony both knew. The funny part was, none of it was reassuring.
Tony guides Ziva to an empty corridor where a bench is waiting for them. Seating her down, Tony opens his arms as her head sits on his shoulder. Rubbing circles on her arm in a ... matter, the two wait in silence.
Ziva sighs loudly. Could this really be happening? Helen having a heart attack? The possibility of never seeing that wonderful woman who served as actually being part of Ziva's life? She cannot lose another mother. Not after all the heart ache she has already been through. Sure enough, Tony notices the sudden change in Ziva. Pulling back from their embrace, he lifts her chin up so she is looking directly at him, her tears on the break of falling. She speaks before he does. "What if she does not make it Tony? I could have done something if I was there with her. I could have helped her." Her voice breaks a little.
"I could have done something to save her."
Tony furrows his eyebrows, trying to choose the right words. "Ziva, there was nothing that could have been done. You were on your lunch break, she knew that. Please don't blame yourself. You did nothing wrong." He tucks a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, fingers brushing lightly against her cheek. "She's going to pull through. We both know that."
Ziva buries her head further into his chest while he rests his arm around her shoulder, both content that they have each other. Both relishing the silence together.
"Excuse me, are you Ziva David?" a voice asks, startling Ziva from her wake in Tony's arms, who was also sleeping. Looking to her left, the doors leading to the outside are dark. From the looks of it, the sky is painted by night and the stars. Entangling herself from him, she stands up.
"Yes. I am."
"Were you aware of the patient's medical history?"
Ziva shifts uncomfortably. "No. I was not. She never really informed me about her past."
"Well since she has no immediate family in the country, and you were on her emergency contact list, I shall inform you that Helen Kismet went through emergency surgery. There was a blood clot that caused blockage through the artery, therefore her heart was unable to receive the oxy-"
Ziva's heart was racing. She crosses her arms around her chest. "Yes. Yes. I am familiar with heart attacks. Please get the point."
The nurse continued, albeit now annoyed. "The doctor successfully treated the blockage. It may take some time to recover, though. So please be patient."
Ziva hears Tony stir and stand up immediately, unaware he has been listening to the conversation. "So she's going to be okay?"
The nurse's eyes widen. Clearly, she never noticed him there. She never noticed how handsome the man before her is. "I..I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I am nurse Kelly," she says quietly, extending her hand.
Tony, being the always oblivious man that he is, doesn't pick up on the change of behaviour from the nurse. He takes her hand politely and shakes it. Ziva rolls her eyes and scoffs. "He asked if she is going to be okay."
The nurse, Kelly, quickly lets go of his hand and locks eyes with Ziva. Her cheeks visibly turn a light shade of pink. "Oh yes, sorry. As I said before, she is recovering. But I am sure she will be back at whatever she was doing before. She'll be up again before you know it."
"Can we visit her right now?" Tony chimed in.
"Not at the moment. She just got out of surgery so I ink it would be best to leave her be for now. But wait a couple days, I'm sure you can visit her then."
Tony puts his arm around Ziva and squeezes her shoulders. She nods. "Alright, yeah. We'll be back soon," Tony replies.
Nurse Kelly smiles. "Okay. Have a good evening."
Ziva turns and makes her way towards the exit. Before Tony joins her, he faces the nurse. "Thanks again for everything. Ziva, well.. she's pretty close with Helen. I could only imagine what's going on in her head, so, thanks again Nurse..."
"Kelly," she says, the corners of her lips faltering.
Tony gives her a small smile before he turns to leave. "Seriously though. Thanks."
"So you want me to make up an excuse?"
"Yes, Probie. Why is that so hard to understand?"
McGee mumbles over his cell phone, "Well why do I have to make up and excuse in the first place? Why can't you tell him yourself?"
Tony sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Just come up with something, alright McGee?"
Silence suddenly stretched between the two. "McGee?"
"Dinozzo. Why aren't you here?" a familiar voice fills Tony's ears.
Tony mentally curses himself. He lies through his teeth "Oh, Boss. I..uh..wasn't feeling so great so decided to go home."
Tony swears he could hear the older man laugh through the other line. "The real reason, Dinozzo."
"Ziva, she works at this library-"
Gibbs cuts him off. "Ah, the librarian."
"Wait, you know her Boss?"
"Yeah. Nice lady, came by one time looking for you. She dropped some books off. Is she okay?"
"She suffered from a severe heart attack." He pauses. "By the time I heard about it, Ziva was already at the hospital. She's okay now, she's recovering."
"Say no more, Dinozzo. Just stand by on call. We might need you today."
Tony let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thanks Boss. I guess I'll see you then."
Turning to Ziva, who, is in the passenger seat, he asks, "Helen knows where I work?"
Ziva laughs quietly. "What, she stopped by the bullpen?" He nods. "Oh right. I do recall discussing with her that you work at the Navy Yard. Sorry if that scared you. She mentioned something about bringing you books.." Ziva trails off.
"That explains a lot, actually."
"I hope she is doing better," Ziva says, changing the subject.
Tony takes his right hand down from the steering wheel intertwining his fingers with hers. Ziva can be really stubborn sometimes. Why can't she believe that Helen is going to be okay? "The surgery went well. You shouldn't worry so much."
Entering the building, Ziva cannot help but do exactly the opposite of what Tony advised her to do. "The amount of things that can go wrong right now are endless, Tony."
"Ziva.." Tony says, leading her to the elevator. Luckily, no one else enters with them.
"She could have another heart attack, or she could just stop breathing, or-" Suddenly Tony's lips crash with hers, ultimately stopping herself from talking. His tongue flicks at her lips, asking for entrance. And when it does, he deepens the kiss. Just as the need for oxygen is too much, they pull apart.
Tony kisses her forehead and whispers into her ear, "She is going to be perfectly fine."
And like that, Ziva finally realizes she head over heels for Anthony Dinozzo Jr.
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with love,
~edancel x