"You're what?" Gibbs asked falling pale himself and confused. "How?" He was always a man of few words but this time, Tony's father had him near speechless.
"I am a part of this group. So is Junior, though he doesn't know it." Anthony shook his head slowly still confused himself. "This is something that is passed down in our family from father to son. I was to tell him all about it when he turned twenty-one, but we weren't exactly on the best of terms then. I didn't think he'd care much about the old father son tradition of belonging to secret societies."
"Secret societies?" McGee asked swallowing hard and finding his own mouth going dry as he shared a quick glance with Gibbs remembering their conversation. "Such as?" He asked as Tony's father had indicated more then one.
"Son, you have to understand that The Council is made up of several societies within societies, each representing different causes but all under the same umbrella." Anthony looked at McGee trying to explain. "When I was a boy, I was sent to St. Paul's Boarding School. Because of the society my father was in, I was placed into a certain House at the school. A House where other boys whose fathers belonged to this group also stayed. It is a chance to get to know one another and form lasting bonds of brotherhood. Just like Junior did. The same groups of boys would then go onto to Universities around the world and belong to certain societies that were all apart of this group, supposedly promoting Global Unity and continuing with the bonds of brotherhood. Girls…women, too." He nodded with bright eyes trying to explain, "They also had their own sororities and boarding schools and such. I went to Yale and joined the secret society there. Junior would have to had I not run out of money to send him." He shook his head looking down regrettably.
"Skull and Bones." McGee voiced out loud, looking directly at Senior whose head whipped up. "You're a Bonesmen."
"What?" Gibbs asked confused.
"The secret society you belonged to at Yale…was it Skull and Bones?" McGee asked Tony's father again.
"Yes, though we are never speak of it, son. It's a code that we live by." Anthony answered with surprise in his eyes.
"Well you better start talking about it now given they share responsibility for these two in their condition." Gibbs looked at the man sternly with a head nod towards Tony and Ziva, "Now is not the time to be holding back what you know."
"Gibbs, I'm telling you. I know nothing about this side of belonging to The Council. Honestly. I'm telling the truth. It's only ever been an Elite Club of the world for me that has a lot of perks and nothing dangerous. Nothing like this and certainly, never heard of any Genetics Programs." He shook his head horrified and holding his hands up slightly in defense, "It's mostly been about connections to people in high places for me. A free stay in a palace here, a ride home on a private jet there. Belonging to this group opens a lot of doors, Gibbs. That's all I've ever known about it. My membership was passed down from my father and his father and so on, going all the way back to Italy."
"The Bonesmen, members of the Skull and Bones, Boss," McGee turned to Gibbs to explain, "Have gone on to become very prominent people in our government. The founder of the CIA for example, was a Bonesmen and several past Presidents, Secretaries of Defense and State, The Council on Foreign Relations, Major Investment Firms like Morgan Stanley…they have their hands in everything."
"Of course they do." Senior added as if that were the point, "This is part of the idea of the group. To place prominent members who all work together into the major roles of the world's governments, financial insitutions, etc so that they can work together as a one world government over all. That was the whole idea of the group. I'm not just a Bonesmen, McGee. I'm also a member of the Templar Knights as well as a Freemason. All of these groups fit under The Council and each serves a purpose in furthering humanity. There are thousands of members worldwide." He shrugged, "Honestly, I like most of the people who are apart of these groups use them mostly for the connections and perks. We leave the big decision making up to those at the very top. The one's calling the shots."
"And who are they? The ones at the top?" Gibbs asked feeling his skin tingle with a sudden chill to realize how vast this group really was. His own father, Jackson, was a Freemason, and he would be too, had he and his father not been fighting in those years when he was asked to join. It was something passed from father to son and in those days, he wanted nothing to do with his father or traditions. He knew a lot of Freemasons, his father's friends and none of them were vicious or evil, which is what he'd come to think of all members of The Council as being. The idea that some were good and other evils had his heart pumping wildly.
"No one but those at the very top really know who actually sits in those Twelve Seats that form the actual Council; but those positions are passed down in bloodlines, just as my membership and Juniors." Anthony tried to explain and felt shaken to not know more.
"There are twelve seats on The Council?" Gibbs asked feeling like they were getting somewhere finally. "So it is not just the name of the group, but also a body of governing people?"
"Yes," Anthony nodded, "It is like a pyramid, Gibbs. There are those on the top who control it all and then it breaks up more and more the futher you go down with each part having a purpose and a job. The twelve seats that form The Council represent the 12 major areas in the world."
"What are they?" Gibbs asked quietly.
"North America, South America, Australia and the Oceania, North Africa, South Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, The Middle East, Eastern Asia. This is what it had been for years though there was a major shake up of sorts these past few years and the borders of those seats changed significantly with people fighting over the seats. I do not know the details beyond that." Anthony shrugged.
"I do." Vance volunteered with a sigh, "The reasons for the shifts in seats is still Classified and I cannot discuss it here, but the new boundaries fit the new world. The old lines were drawn just after WWII. It needed an update. There is no longer a Southern Europe and North Africa, they have merged and become one. As have Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Russia reclaimed its empire even if those countries aren't aware of it with the union of those two regions. And Eastern Asia was split into India and China. Which makes it a council of thirteen now, instead of twelve. No more deadlocked votes."
"How do you know this?" Gibbs asked him with steely eyes, angry that Vance held back so much information for the last several months when he knew what was really going on.
"I have my sources, Gibbs. I do not wish to discuss them here." Vance looked intently back at him, "If you will remember, I told you that I wanted to speak with you further about the topic and we never had the chance to." There morning had been interrupted several times and then ultimately, ending in catastrophe with Tony and Ziva being shot.
"And this is all part of the Illuminati? What some people call The New World Order?" McGee asked quickly sitting forward in his seat, with hands pointed together at the fingertips trying to hold back his eagerness to get real answers to these conspiracy theories that had circulated for year.
"The Illuminati is merely a part of The Council, son. It has several names and different groups as I said. It is constantly evolving as the needs of the world change." Anthony shook his head feeling frustrated that this could some how involve what had happened to both Ziva and Tony. "I don't understand what they would want with Ziva's genetics. I know that her father was Eli David and the David name carries a serious amount of clout within the group, especially in the Middle Eastern Division of The Council given his Directorship of Mossad but…as far as I know, they do not hold the actual seat as the Head of the Middle Eastern Division. That belongs to another family, one with far more power in the world."
"The Rothschilds." Vance answered flatly and all eyes and heads whipped to him.
"Yes, that's right." Anthony looked at him curiously, "How did you know?"
"As I said, I have my source." Vance answered refusing to give more details and saw McGee's mouth hanging open in astonishment as well as Gibbs clenched jaw.
"But what does that have to do with my beautiful soon to be daughter-in-law?" Anthony asked quietly looking over at Ziva's sleeping form.
"She is a Rothschild, Anthony." Gibbs answered the man cooly, "Ziva's mother's maiden name…was Rothschild."
"Ziva…is a Rothschild?" Anthony's eyes widened considerably and he clutched at his heart, sitting back in his chair with face paling. "My son is marrying a Rothschild." He looked over at them unblinking. "The amount of wealth they hold is-"
"Unimaginable. Yeah. We know." Gibbs answered feeling the hairs standing up on the back of his neck and anger tinging his voice. He knew how the man before him felt about wealth and luxury. The unmistable twinkle in his eye at finding out his son was marrying into that money was hard to miss. "That wealth won't do you much good, though A.D., if they succeed in killing Ziva and your son."
"Gibbs," Anthony looked shocked and offended at the accusation with shoulders falling. "I-"
"Save it. I don't want to hear it right now. I'm more concerned with what this new information means for Ziva." Gibbs eyes shifted with a hard stare towards Vance, "Was she to inherit this seat for the Middle East on The Council? Is that why they want her dead?"
"Yes." Vance answered with a sharp head nod, "She was to inherit not only her father's position in controlling Mossad, but also her rightful place as the heir to the seat on The Council as the Head of the Middle East Division. And that is what they really want. Whoever controls that seat, controls everything else in their division. The only way to inherit that seat, when there is a legitimate heir to the proverbial throne is the same way it works in old Monarchies."
"They have to kill her." Gibbs realized what he meant and Vance nodded. "She can't just reject the position?"
"No." Vance shook his head, "Not and have the Old Guard and way of doing things accept it. As the oldest legitimate child of both the Davids and Rothschilds in a planned genetic pairing, Ziva was to inherit the seat. It is what she was raised for even if she did not know that herself. As long as she is alive, no one else can stake claim. The group is divided in several ways over the issue, with those who are fighting to protect Ziva and those who want her dead to take the seat away from the family for good."
"Did you know about this?" Gibbs turned his gaze to Schmeil, the man who knew Ziva and her family the longest.
"I knew about the Rothschild's holding the seat on The Council but for as long as I've known the family, there was always someone who worked for them actually holding the seat and it was passed down in their family generations as the Liaison to the family. This allowed them to lead their normal lives. I had not become aware that this would change with Ziva after Eli's death." Schmeil shook his own head with widening eyes of disbelief at the new information to hear why they wanted Ziva dead.
"I can tell you why." Vance answered bringing their attention back to him, "Eli David had that Rothschild Liaison to The Council killed years after Rivka's death and took their place himself supposedly until Ziva, the rightful heir, came of age. He brought together the two positions not only as a Rothschild, holding a seat on The Council but also as a David, holding the throne of Mossad as well. With the two combined, he held unprecedented power within The Council over his jurisidiction of the Middle East."
"Why would he kill the family liaison to The Council?" McGee asked quietly finding it difficult to swallow once more.
"Eli had told the other members on The Council that he'd been given information they were the one who had Rivka killed and that Ziva's life was in danger as well. What he really wanted was to eradicate the family still loyal to his now deceased wife and her interests. The Liaison family had been instructed by Rivka to protect Ziva at all costs after she left with the children, even from Eli if necessary. Of course, this didn't fit into Eli's plans for Ziva with the Hashshashini Project. The Liaison was trying to stop him from his planned breaking and torture of her. So he had them killed, assumed control and at once, had unlimited control within his region. He was to turn the seat on The Council and the power over to Ziva when she turned twenty-seven."
"But he sent Ziva to that camp in Somalia on a suicide mission just before she turned twenty-seven?" McGee asked confused about the timing.
"Exactly." Vance nodded at him, "At the time, Eli wasn't sure if he could trust Ziva's loyalty to him anymore so once again, sending her away just before her twenty-seventh birthday served two purposes for him. If she were loyal to Gibbs and us, and she was killed on this mission in the process, Eli would maintain his place in her seat with no futher recognized heirs. It gave him time to groom Liat." His eyes flashed to Malachi, reminding the man of why Eli really pulled Liat up to take Ziva's place. "If Ziva's conditioning had worked, then Eli would have complete control over her under his breaking. She would have done whatever he ordered her to do. Thus, maintaining the power behind the seat on The Council even if Ziva were sitting in it."
"She would have been his puppet, with him really pulling the strings." Gibbs added quietly in understanding now.
Vance nodded, "And when we rescued her, we broke that plan. His new plan in his fury at us and at Ziva, was to kill her and have Liat step into the role as the last full sibling and heir in the bloodline. The only one The Council would accept as a child from both bloodlines."
"He was going to kill Ziva?" McGee asked breathless and watched as many other faces paled considerably. To hear of the man planning to kill his own child; but then again, he shouldn't be. Eli had ordered Ari's death, his own son and then gave Ziva orders for a suicide mission.
Vance nodded softly again, "But when he came back to D.C. to discuss the Amersterdam mission, and saw Ziva again…he realized how wrong he'd been. That his sins against her and her mother were too great. His quest to remain in power had cost him too dearly and so he began to work towards finding a way to free Ziva of her obligations to The Council and finding ways to appease them."
"By donating her genetic material." Gibbs answered, remembering what Cruz had said about working with Eli on offering that to this group of people as a way to get Ziva off the list. Cruz had indictated that it was in an effort to free Ziva from going back into the Elite Assassins program, but given what Vance had just told them, it was for much more and the other way around. The Council never wanted her on the List to be trained under the Hashshashini Project in the first place, Eli did. They wanted her to maintain her seat and the bloodline. Cruz wasn't exactly being truthful with them, which was no surprise. If he had married Ziva and had children with her, his children would become the heirs to that seat on The Council. A considerable power boost for himself, to have his wife as a Head member in the group he worked in.
"Yes," Vance agreed with Gibbs, "Ziva's bloodline was perfected over years and years of genetic breeding. The Rothschild's and the Davids were merely two genetic lines leading back to the original… House of David."
"The Grail Bloodline," McGee gasped to hear Vance actually saying his conspiracy theory outloud. "The original bloodline of Jesus Christ. Both Mary and Joseph were direct descendents of Bathsheba and King David." He added realizing why this was important now to this group, though the others seemed confused still.
"But what does that mean?" Anthony asked feeling his own mouth going dry to hear such names and things thrown out there as he stare at his son and the woman he loved unconscious in the bed before him.
"If Eli was a direct descendent of the House of David, a line that produced Christ's mother Mary…and Rivka, was a direct descendent of thee Rothschild family, which came from the Stewarts and Sinclairs in France…" McGee answered quietly revealing what he'd learned in his most recent research.
"And who are they?" Gibbs asked shifting uncomfortably.
"They are to be the direct descendents of Jesus Christ, Boss." McGee swallowed hard, "Some believe that Christ really was married to Mary Magdelene and that before his death, she was pregnant with his child. A daughter, who is believed by some, to be the real Holy Grail of Christ. His real flesh and blood. His bloodline. And that these two families carried forth that bloodline." He gulped again, "So by combining both the direct descendents from the House of David in Ziva…" He paused unable to explain further.
"What McGee?" Gibbs asked impatiently at what this all meant to the people who wanted Ziva and her genetic material.
"They purified her bloodline, Boss. The Grail Bloodline." McGee answered in a near whisper staring at Ziva asleep on the bed.
"But why? And what do they want with her children?" Gibbs asked feeling his heart start to pound.
"They are likely searching for the new Messiah, Jethro." Ducky offered with passion in his voice, feeling a knot in the pit of his stomach as well, "Given what they believe about Ziva's bloodline. In the Bible, it is said that the new Messiah would be a direct descendent from the House of David. And specificially, in the Book of Malachi," He shifted his gaze over to Malachi standing across from him, " It is said that the return of Elijah would immediately proceed the coming of the new Messiah." He paused, "If they believe that Ziva's father is that very Elijah… then they are likely expecting her to be the mother of this coming savior. The one who will defeat the evil of the world to stop the end of times from coming."
"Jews believe that the new Messiah will be human of flesh and bone. Not God or the son of God, but human…The Messiah that everyone in traditional Judaism is waiting for." Malachi added quietly with an ashen look on his face.
"Yes, and even Islamic faith predicts the new Messiah will return to defeat the false Messiah, or the one known as the Anti-Christ in Christianity." Ducky continued, "And usher in the era of freedom and peace. Bring peace to the Holy Lands."
"And you believe all of this?" Gibbs asked with astonishment to see the look on Ducky's face as well as McGee's.
"It does not matter what we believe or do not believe, Jethro! What matters is that they believe! And what that means for Ziva and any future children." Ducky countered passionately shaking his head.
Gibbs knew that Ducky had a point. It didn't matter what they all believed in terms of religion and history and the possibility that Ziva carried some sort of genetic material that came from Christ himself. None of that mattered. What did, was these people who were after her believed it, and they needed to find a way to protect her given this information.
"The Signet Ring you gave Tony." Ducky spoke up remembering the ring from Christmas and putting pieces together in his head of how this all fit together. The ring that Tony had been disappointed he'd never received when he was twenty-one knowing that it had been a family tradition to pass it from father to son and he'd never received it until this last year. "Where did it come from?" He asked Anthony knowing there had to be a connection.
"It was passed down as well. From father to son going all the way back to my great grandfathers in Italy. The first ring holder was a Count, the very first one to wear the Family ring. He was Italian Nobility. A Templar Knight." Anthony smiled sadly with a deep sigh and then shook his head, "Most of our family money had come from this line; that is, until I lost it. One too many gambles in Monte Carlo."
"The DiNozzos were Italian Nobility?" McGee asked him with wide-eyes, never thinking for a moment that Tony could possibly ever be such a thing.
"Not the DiNozzos, son." Anthony shook his head, "The DiNunzio's, yes." He gave them all a small smile, "Our name was changed when the family first immigrated to the United States. The original family name, is actually DiNunzio."
"Are you aware of the origins of that name?" Schmeil asked Senior with slightly widening eyes.
"It means 'messenger." Anthony nodded softly, "Comes from the Italian word, annuniziata, which means annunciation. It comes from the New Testament in the Bible, when the archangel Gabriel told Mary of the imminent birth of Jesus. Since the early 1200s, there has even been a festival in Florence celebrating the Annuniziata at the end of March, to recognize the arrival of spring and celebrate when the angel Gabriel told Mary to expect the birth of Christ in nine months time. Isabella and I took Junior there when he was nine months old. It was an interesting sight to behold. Men in colorful tights throwing flags into the air as a show of manliness." He voice became slow and soft as he spoke realizing what he was saying and the way everyone was staring at him with wide eyes, pale faces and some mouths hanging slightly ajar, given this information combined with what else they'd just learned.
"So…let me get this straight." McGee swallowed hard speaking slowly and softly as he looked at Tony and Ziva in the bed, "You and Tony are Italian Nobility descendants, of a Templar Knight…of which, you both are still to this day?"
"Well yes, though Junior never went through the actual ceremony to official become one of the Knights Templar, he still is given my involvement and his bloodline." Anthony nodded softly.
"And throughout history, these Templar Knights have supposedly been in charge of guarding the Holy Grail…which, could actually mean the bloodline of Christ," McGee swallowed repeatedly, "And your real last name comes from the moment when the angel Gabriel told Mary of the impending birth of Christ…" He paused again as Anthony nodded, and then his eyes slowly moved back to Ziva and Tony, "So Tony is a Templar Knight, who is charged with protecting the Holy Grail…and Ziva is a supposed carrier of the bloodline of Christ, the Holy Grail..." He swallowed hard again with eyes slowly moving towards Gibbs, "Too much of a coincidence here, Boss?" His eyes looked back to Tony and Ziva lying in the bed. That Tony had nearly died in his quest to protect Ziva already, and neither of them knowing their true origins and backgrounds, had found each other. "Remember what Ezra said about the conversation he'd overheard with Eli? About adding the Italian Heritage to his bloodline with Ziva's children? You think he knew about Tony's heritage, Boss?" He looked back at Gibbs.
"I'm sure he did, McGee." Gibbs nodded softly knowing that Eli had done a dossier on everyone involved in Ziva's life. Tony wouldn't be an exception.
"I'm sorry for the interruption," The doctor and two nurses quickly entered the room, surprised to see it so full of people and even more surprised to find Ziva in Tony's bed with him. "We need to re-adjust Ziva's medication." He nodded towards the nurse to go ahead.
The woman quickly set to work on Ziva's pain pump and IV's.
"I don't understand how this could have happened but there was a mix up at the lab with her first set of bloodwork." The doctor shook his head looking concerned. "She never should have had this medication."
"A mix up? How is that possible Dr. Angelo?" Malachi was immediately on the defensive, "That is a near impossibility given our security procedures."
"I understand your concerns, Director. I am concerned as well. When I ran Ziva's bloodwork again, there was a startling difference from when we ran it just before surgery. Someone switched the results out. Had we been given the proper results the first time," Dr. Angelo shook his head, "She never should have been allowed this medication. I need to run her blood again to make sure everything is all right."
"Why would someone switch Ziva's blood test?" Gibbs asked quickly with heart starting to pound seeing how concerned the doctor and nurses were with the mix up and that whatever medication they were now giving Ziva was in some way harming her.
"The better question is what were they trying to hide from us?" Ducky asked, as he knew there were few reasons people did such things in the medical field.
"According to the last real blood test results, Ziva is pregnant." Dr. Angelo informed them quietly and saw the immediate shock on all of their faces, "She should never have been allowed any narcotics for pain. To do so puts the child in grave danger."
"Ziva's pregnant…" McGee gasped in astonishment.
"How far along?" Gibbs asked with immediate concern at what Ziva had just been through and already fearing for her child.
"Given the levels of the HCG hormones in her blood presently, I can only guess…" Dr. Angelo flipped through his chart on Ziva and then looked back at Gibbs, "She would have conceived sometime at the end of March or beginning of April…unless of course, she's having twins. Then she may not be as far along. Two babies means higher levels. I won't be able to tell exactly until I do an ultrasound. But given the fact she's been on narcotics and the state of distress her body is already in from the gunshot wounds…she may still miscarry if she hasn't already." He looked at them all sadly and then to Ziva's still form, "Given her medical history from the damage done during her torture, her cervix and uterus were already in a fragile state making her a High Risk Pregnancy. The odds are not in her favor right now to carry this pregnancy to term." He saw the immediate looks of sadness on their faces, "I'm sorry. I will do everything I can but… I need to speak to Ziva right now, alone… about what she wants to do. Did she ever mention to any of you that she knew of being pregnant?" He asked wondering if even Ziva knew or if this would be a surprise to her.
"No. She hasn't said anything to us." Gibbs shook his head, hoping that Ziva hadn't known and kept it from them so they wouldn't try to stop her from going after Bodnar.
"She likely does not know then. Given what her body has gone through the last several months, she would likely not notice the change from pregnancy given all that it had already endured." The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry but this is urgent, I need to check the fetus. I am going to have to ask you all to please step out."
"I'm staying." Gibbs said firmly not about to let Ziva out of his sight for one second, trusting no one in this building even further now upon hearing that someone was trying to hide Ziva's pregnancy from them, putting the baby in danger. "And you too." He looked at Ducky, wanting a medical professional he trusted in the room with them.
Ducky nodded in agreement as the rest began to shuffle out.
"Stay right outside the door." Gibbs instructed McGee and E.J. not wanting to lose them either. "Vance keep an eye on them and those two." He nodded at Schmeil and Anthony as well. "Ziva wants them moved to her house immediately," he looked at Malachi, "She said it was the only place she knew to be safe."
"I'll get on it right now." Malachi nodded in understanding still absorbing the shock of the news and hearing how someone had tried to hide it. He quickly set to work on his phone as they all stepped out of the room.
"We need to move her to her own bed for this." Dr. Angelo nodded at Ziva as another nurse moved inot the room with an ultrasound machine.
"I'll wake her." Gibbs announced taking a deep breath and forging ahead. "Ziver," He ran his hand down her head softly, whispering into her ear and trying to wake her without scaring her. "Ziva…" he tried again and this time got a response. Her eyelids slowly began to flutter and she turned to look at him.
"Is is Tony?" She asked immediately concerned, quickly turning back to look at the man beside her knowing that Gibbs promised to wake her should something change.
"No, he's fine. We need you to move back into your own bed for while. The doctor needs to run some tests." Gibbs answered her quietly nodding in the direction of the doctor on the other side of the bed who was smiling softly down at her.
"Okay," She nodded in agreement and lifted her arm so that Gibbs could help her out. "Hello Ducky." She smiled softly through sleepy eyes seeing that he had arrived and earned a smile in return. "It is good to see you."
"Likewise My Dear." Ducky smiled softly.
"Where is everyone else?" She asked when Gibbs had the railing down and was swooping her into his arms. The room was noticeably empty in comparison to when she'd gone to sleep.
"They are just waiting outside." Gibbs answered her walking slowly back to her bed with Ziva in his arms. "Malachi is making arrangments to move you and Tony to your house as soon as possible." He informed her before she asked seeing the way she looked back at Tony.
"Thank you." Ziva answered as he settled her down once more on her bed, "What are these tests you need to perform?" She asked the doctor as he approached with a nurse wheeling the machine over.
"Ziva," The doctor began gently, "Were you aware that you are pregnant?"
Ziva simply stare at the man as though he had two heads and silence filled the room except for the soft whooshing and beeps coming from Tony's Life Support machines.
"Ziver…" Gibbs prompted her, worried when he hadn't even seen her blink as she stare at the man before her. "Did you know you were pregnant?" Given the look on her face presently, he gathered she did not.
"No," She answered in barely above a whisper trying to process what he'd said. "Am I…still?" She asked quietly wondering if her current condition had changed that feeling both fear and excitement clashing wildly together inside her at the same time. Trying not to get her hopes up at the idea of being pregnant with Tony's child and also realizing it may not last given her already compromised body and then the current situation they were facing.
"That's what we need to look at." The doctor gave her a small smile. "I need to run an ultrasound and do another blood panel. Someone switched your blood test out hiding the fact you were pregnant, Ziva." He sobered honestly, "You never should have been given any narcotics for pain. I'm not sure what this will do to the pregnancy but given you weren't on them long and you are early in your pregnancy, I believe it should be fine. I'm honestly more concerned about the stress your body is under and what effect that will have on the pregnancy."
The fear in Ziva's eyes was clear in an instant and Gibbs immediately took hold of her hand. His own heart clenched when she squeezed back tightly in fear, needing to hold onto him without expressing her fear verbally.
"Do you have any idea of when you may have conceived?" The doctor asked as he began setting up for the ultrasound.
"No." Ziva shook her head, honestly not knowing the answer. Since she and Tony had finally gotten together physically, there were too many times they could have possibly conceived a child to count and her system had been irregular since she was shot.
"Well your blood test results indicate sometime near the end of March or beginning of April is my best guess." Dr. Angelo smiled at her softly, "The ultrasound should tell us more."
Ziva's mind was instantly flashing back to that weekend. The first time she and Tony were ever together physically. They hadn't left the bed for nearly three days unable to get enough of each other. The idea they'd created a child during that time brought instant tears to Ziva's eyes that she tried desperately to hold back but failed.
Another realization hit her in that moment, why she was so emotional of late and had trouble holding back her tears. She'd assumed it was because she'd hit her emotional threshold with so many things happening all at once, but being pregnant certainly explained the over emotional tears that came instantly reaction she'd been having as well as her ability to fall asleep near instantly these days and being so tired.
Ducky and Gibbs stay on either side of her, each near her head as the nurse draped a privacy sheet and the doctor sat down to perform the ultrasound.
"Angelo is an interesting last name for a Jewish doctor." Ducky spoke trying to break the tension in the room, concentrating instead on the younger man before him. "I met a doctor years ago at a conference whose last name was also Angelo, though he was from Palermo, Italy."
"My mother was Jewish, from Israel and this is where I was born." The good doctor smiled softly as he prepared the wand for the procedure, "My father was Italian. From Palermo, actually. Perhaps, this doctor friend of yours is a relative of mine. I have many Italian cousins." He looked from Ducky back to Ziva with a more serious face, "Okay, Ziva. Here we go." He gave a soft nod to her and then began.
It didn't take long for the small dark oblonged shape to appear on the screen and the white peanut shapped thing in the middle was easily identifiable to them all. "Well, you are definitely pregnant." The doctor spoke with eyes never leaving the screen as he moved the wand around and changed angles.
Ziva's eyes were once again filled with tears that this was actually happening and terrified, it wouldn't last. Everything she ever wanted was just within her grasp and had already begun to be violently torn away from her. First a sister in Liat and her being taken; then nearly losing Tony and now a baby.
They all remained quiet as the doctor examined her and the fetus and determined its size, gestational growth and viability. His features became more grave the longer his test went on and Gibbs knew whatever he was going to tell her, wouldn't be good.
"I need to switch to a higher level of ultrasound. I need to get a better picture." Dr. Angelo informed them without looking up and quickly toggled his keyboard switch bringing up a much more clear image of the fetus and the inside of Ziva's uterus. The head, body, arms and legs were immediately visible and the tears finally slipped down Ziva's cheeks in endless streams when the picture on the screen show the bottom of one tiny foot that already had visible toes. He zoomed in on the baby's heart and switched screens again, "I'm checking the blood flow." He informed them again without looking up, and they watched the red and blue colored exchange on the screen. He flicked another button and the sounds of a loud and fast whooshing filled the air. "The baby's heartbeat." He announced and this time gave her a small smile before quickly looking away.
Ziva simply stare at the screen in front of her with endless tears and then turned her head to the side to look at Tony's still form in the bed across the room. The whooshing sounds coming from his ventilator and then back to the rapid sound of their baby's heart beating had her internally swallowing a sob. He should be here for this. He should be doing this with her. "This is not how this was supposed to happen." She whispered with eyes flickering over to Gibbs and crying.
"I know." Gibbs heart melted for her and leaned in, holding her close and kissing her head. He knew how heartbreaking this was for her to be without Tony.
"Ziva," the doctor finished looking at her seriously, "I'm going to be completely honest with you. This does not look good. Given the area of your uterus where the baby has attached itself and the blood flow from your previous damage…" He swallowed hard speaking quietly, "Given the strain your body is already under with your old and new injuries, I do not expect the fetus to survive much longer. There is a great chance that you will likely miscarriage in the coming days from the stress. I'm honestly surprised, you haven't already. I'm sorry." He lay a comforting hand on her knee with apologetic eyes, "If you were already past your first trimester the odds would be much better. But you are barely 9 weeks as it is." He sighed as Ziva continued to simply stare at him with endless silent tears and he turned the monitor off so she couldn't see the image of the baby anymore. "I know this is a lot to process, but you have options. We can wait and see what happens with the pregnancy… though I expect if you go this route, you'll miscarry naturally in a few days, maybe a week or two. Or," He took a deep breath, "We can go ahead and end it now. Save you from having to deal with a miscarriage on top of everything else."
Ziva could barely breathe at the options he was giving her. To wait for the pregnancy to end itself, or to end it now with an abortion. He hadn't given her any options where the baby could possibly survive. "You…" She began and her voice cracked, "Are saying there is no chance that this baby will survive?"
"Ziva," Dr. Angelo sighed again, moving in closer and looking at her with deep dark eyes, "The physician side of me, must inform you of the odds. This is not realistically a viable pregnancy at this point. Your body has been through too much to support this pregnancy much further. As your physician, I must tell you that to make an informed decision…but," He gave her a small tiny smile, "Miracles do happen. I've seen them already in you. You have survived things you should not have time and time again. You are a miracle, Ziva…and this baby, could be another. If you wish to wait and see what happens, take it one day at a time. Think about your options. We can do that too."
"Tony isn't even awake…" She gasped quietly through tears and tried to wipe them away with her one good hand. She would have to make this decision without him. "I do not know what to do right now." She shook her head looking dazed at the man before her.
"Okay," Dr. Angelo nodded softly, "Just think about it and we'll go from there. I'll come back and check on you later. The nurses are going to take some more of your blood to do another panel." He informed her and Ziva moved her arm for them to gain access to draw blood.
When they were finished Ziva finally spoke again seeing the doctor and nurses heading towards the door, "I would like a minute…alone. If that is okay?" She asked quietly looking at Gibbs with pleading eyes for understanding. This was all too much to process and she needed a moment to clear her head.
"We'll wait right outside." Gibbs answered her softly leaning in to kiss her head, "I love you. You aren't alone in this, Ziva. I know Tony isn't awake yet…but you aren't alone. Whatever you need. We're here." He offered her, hoping to have his words sink in seeing her retreating already inside herself. He kissed her head once again in a linger kiss that caused another flush of tears from her eyes and then again when Ducky did the same.
Ziva watched them go and turned on her side to stare at Tony in the bed across the room. She had no idea what to do now.
Gibbs closed the door behind them when they were all standing in the hallway with anxious faces of the others to see what happened.
"How is she? Did she know?" McGee asked immediately concerned for Ziva and wondering if she knew she was even pregnant.
"She didn't know." Gibbs answered sadly, "And she's…overwhelmed."
"How far along?" E.J. asked concerned for the baby as well.
"Just over two months." Dr. Angelo answered her question with a sobering and sad smile. "She is thinking over her options now."
"Options?" McGee asked immediately alarmed. "What does that mean, Dr. Angelo?"
"It means that this baby is in a rather precarious spot and with Ziva's injuries both in the past and now, the odds are not in her favor to carry this pregnancy to term. If by some miracle," He paused shaking his head with a hopeful smile, "the baby does hang on…then it will be a true miracle, I guess and should arrive around Christmas, near the end of December given the gestiational age. And please, there is no need to be so formal, call me Gabriel." He smiled softly at their astonished faces and then excused himself, "I will be back later to check on them both. Shalom."
He pushed through the group gathered who remained silent with wide eyes watching him go, no one speaking or even dare breathing for a full minute after he already disappeared around the corner.
"You know…angelo means 'the angel' in Italian," Ducky finally spoke with eyes quietly looking towards Gibbs and swallowing hard finding his own mouth dry for once with heart pounding, having not felt this way since he'd had his heart attack. "Oh Dear…" He added quietly.