Merry belated Christmas! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. It's been a crazy week, but these will be finished. Here's your next chapter.

By the way; X - a very difficult letter to find a drabble word for.

jae

X-ray

After four hours of constant testing and observation, she finally succumbs to the pounding headache that's been growing since she'd been knocked silly by their suspect while her and her partner canvased their not so abandoned crime scene earlier in the day. The next time they ask her if she wants medication for the pain, she abandons her dignity and accepts the drugs without hesitation. What was supposed to be quick, routine sweep of the area before they all parted ways early for Christmas Eve, became a one on one round with their suspect while her partner had been in an entirely different area of the house.

And while she was banged up and bruised, she would still claim her pride was wounded more so, and the memory of the look on Tony's face as she was swept from the scene ached far worse than her likely fractured arm. She knows he'll hold on to the guilt for the weeks and likely, months, to follow, but she does not condemn him for what happened. They had each cleared the scene to one another, and the only way he had realized what was escalating between her and their suspect downstairs was when she had been thrown against a bookshelf, upending it from the wall. The almighty crash had sent her partner careening down the staircase, but by then she had already taken the worst of the beating.

It's under the affects of the medicine that she slips slowly from consciousness, and so she doesn't notice the arrival of another presence as her eyes slide shut. She falls asleep to the dulling ache shooting through her arm, and the tension in her head slowly alleviating.

When her eyes flutter open hours later, she's alone. But a chair now rests beside her bed; a familiar coat hung neatly over the back. A half filled cup of coffee rests on her table, and when she scans her eyes to the entrance of her room, a small, NCIS emblazoned duffle rests next to the door.

She's fighting sleep when her partner suddenly appears in the doorway; a tired smile spreading across his face as he takes in her half-opened eyes.

"Hey, they're gonna wait to run an x-ray until later," He murmurs, bending down to grab his bag and quietly make his way to her side. He sits down beside her, shuffling through his bag as she tries desperately to stay awake.

"They said you'll be knocked out for a couple more hours. They're gonna keep you over night." He frees his hand from the bag, clasping a DVD case and grinning brightly at her. "Lucky for you, I brought a few movies just in case."

She thinks she might nod, but the question on her tongue doesn't make it past her lips as she sighs contentedly, letting her eyes slip close once more.

When she wakes again, she isn't alone.

Warmth radiates from beside her, pressed against her body and under her hand. She realizes that under her touch, a chest rises and falls with slow, steady breathing. Opening her eyes, she finds herself pressed against her partner on the small, hospital cot. He has an arm slung around her, and the other keeping a laptop open steady on his legs. A soft chuckle escapes him at the scenes unfolding on the screen, and she realizes that A Christmas Story is almost half-way finished.

She curls her hand absently against his chest, and he shifts slightly, trying to look down at her face.

"How're you feeling?"

Ziva considers this, and while the ache in her arm is still strong, the pounding of her head has dulled generously.

"Okay." She murmurs, without bothering to lift her head from his side. Instead, she curls herself closer. Her eyes scan the darkened room; the window on the far side of the wall no longer glowing with sunlight from earlier, instead dark with night.

"What are you still doing here?" She turns her eyes to look up at him. "It is Christmas Eve, you should be at Ducky's."

He looks down at her, amused, and his arm tightens just slightly around her.

"I wasn't going to leave my partner alone on Christmas Eve." He chuckles, and the feeling feels good against her. "Besides, I had to make sure you wouldn't make a break for it before they finished checking you out."

He turns his attention back to the movie, still playing out before them, and he turns the volume up now that she is awake and talking. When it's clear his attention has been recaptured, she doesn't interrupt. Instead, she settles more comfortably against him, and lets the screen capture her attention as well.

"Oh, do you need more meds?" He gives a start later, casting a worried look down at her against his chest.

She merely shakes her head, a small smile on her face, and waits for him to press play on the next movie.

In his company, she doesn't notice the pain.