A/N: That's it, that's the last chapter, but I have to say that it's not the real end because I plan on writing a sequel later.
I want to thank all the people who followed my story, you were all a fantastic support and source of encouragement for my first big fic in English, so thank you very much to everyone.
And a special thank you to my betareader Jessica who took the time to read and correct my story, she did an excellent job.
I would really appreciate if all the readers, not only the usual reviewers, took a few seconds to review that last chapter and let me know what they think and what they want to see in the sequel.
I hope you'll enjoy it and sorry for the mistakes in my A/N (I didn't send it to my beta for corrections lol)
CHAPTER 16
- 722 -
Around 10:30 am the next morning. Abby, McGee and Gibbs were in the hospital elevator on their way to the Medical Unit. Abby had her hand on the wall and was nervously tapping on it with her black fingernails. She was anxious and quite upset. Upset because they were already here the day before but hadn't had a chance to see neither Tony nor Ziva. Tony was still in Intensive Care where only members of immediate family are allowed to visit patients, as for Ziva, the doctors were still taking care of her injured arm. Instead of going back to work Abby would have preferred to wait until they get Ziva back in her room, but Gibbs had convinced her that it would be better for her to get some rest before she sees anyone.
"Running out of caffeine Abs?" Gibbs said placing his hand on hers to make that annoying sound stop.
"Too nervous to eat or drink anything and you should too Gibbs, they almost died yesterday."
"You heard the doctors as well as I did, they're fine." He removed his hand and she started the game with her fingers again.
"Well, I'm a scientist, so I'll only believe it when I see it." She stated moving closer to the door and eagerly awaiting for them to open.
"They moved Tony from Intensive Care Unit to Medical Unit, that's already something." McGee tried to prove her that they were indeed better.
"People die in Medical too." She was negative today and nothing could make her change her mood.
"No one's gonna die Abby." Gibbs firmly said.
The doors weren't even entirely opened that Abby already made her way through them. She almost ran towards Tony's room, which wasn't easy with her wedge heels. McGee and Gibbs were watching her quite amused. She turned the handle of the door and opened without knocking, but didn't enter. She turned round and pounced on the first nurse she saw.
"What happened to Tony? He's not in his room anymore…Don't tell me that he's…Gibbs! You said no one was gonna die?" Abby was imagining the worse and was giving to Gibbs an accusing look.
The nurse, who was actually nurse Marie, was a little confused at Abby's behavior. "Are you talking about the patient of room 415?" She bent over to read the number on the door and everyone nodded. "Be reassured, he's not dead. He woke up yesterday around 11pm and there shouldn't be any consequences resulting from his coma."
"So where is he?" Abby asked almost cutting Marie off.
"We had to move him in another room." She started walking and invited them to follow her. "He's in the 722 now."
"722." McGee repeated. "Isn't that Ziva's room?"
"If you're talking about his partner, then yes. It was the only way to keep them from moving all the time." Marie answered smiling.
Her remark went unnoticed to the others but not to Abby; she could well imagine them disobeying the doctors' orders just to be together.
"It's over there." Nurse Marie said pointing at a door a few steps away. "They're both awake, but don't stay too long."
Abby, still shocked by the thought of Tony being dead, rushed into the room. Tony was the first one she saw, so he was the first one to be hugged, but not too tight. "One could say that frightening people is your thing, and it works for you both." She said then looking at Ziva, who was in the bed on the left.
"I'm thinking of doing it professionally, you?" Tony replied as a joke and then turned to Ziva.
Abby let Tony go and went to Ziva.
"Only if it is well paid." She answered just before Abby throws herself on her.
"Didn't you promise me to never scare me again?" Abby asked Ziva remembering the conversation they'd had after the plane explosion.
"I know, sorry. I think I will not make that kind of promises anymore, because obviously I can not keep them."
"I didn't expect to see you so…so…"
"So what McGee? Alive?" Tony cut him off and laughed.
"Tony, you didn't see the car, we did and frankly I would never have thought someone got out of it alive, so excuse us if we're stunned to see you so healthy." McGee was irritated by Tony's bad joke.
"Sorry, Probie. I didn't know you were that concerned." Tony apologized seeing that McGee wasn't the only one having been affected by their accident.
"We were all very concerned Tony, so stop acting like that. It's a shame that the shock on your head didn't help you growing up." Abby stated sitting on the edge of Ziva's bed. "But you're ok and that's all that matters."
"Yes, we are all fine, what more could we want?" Ziva said exchanging a knowing glance with Tony.
"Maybe there is a little something." Gibbs, who had remained silent all the time, said. He walked from the middle of the room to her bed and handed her a small box awkwardly wrapped up.
Ziva was more than surprised at Gibbs' gesture; he wasn't the kind of person who offers gifts. She took it and ripped it open, and then, in the middle of the paper, she saw a badge. It was maybe because of the surprise and the pride she felt at that moment, and most probably because of the hormones too, but she suddenly was very moved and almost cried.
"A real one this time." Gibbs added. "I should have delivered it to you yesterday, but let's say that you were quite busy."
"Thank you Gibbs. It means a lot to me." Despite of her emotion, Ziva managed to keep her voice steady.
"From a Special Agent to another, I'm glad I didn't have to deliver it posthumously." Gibbs smiled at her and she smiled back.
"When do they release you?" Abby asked.
"They said they'll discharge us in 4 days. And if I behave they said I could go back to work next Monday, so you won't miss my charming presence for too long." Tony answered with a grin.
"What about you?" McGee asked Ziva.
"Thanks to my stupid arm I have two weeks of sick leave and 5 physical therapy sessions before they allow me to return to work. But I will be sitting at me desk the second my leave is over." She explained.
"I don't doubt that." Gibbs stated.
"Two weeks of sick leave? I don't wanna be there to see how you handle it." McGee said. It was hard to imagine for everyone that she could stay at home for two long weeks.
What she hadn't told them is that she not only had to stay home but she was on a complete bed rest for at least one week to give her baby all its chances. Resting wasn't something she was used to do but this time the stakes were too important.
"Visiting hours are over. You can come back this afternoon." Marie informed them passing her head through the door.
Everyone was now gone and Tony was quietly sitting in his bed blankly staring at the wall in front of him. He was thinking about something that had crossed his mind during the night.
Silently, Ziva was watching him. She could tell he had something in mind because of the smile on his lips.
"What are you thinking?" She was curious, but in the meantime, knowing Tony, his answer could be completely stupid.
He closed his eyes, shook his head in incomprehension and let out a laugh. "How do you do that? Am I that transparent?"
"Maybe you are, or maybe I just start to know you well. So, what are you thinking? And don't even think about answering the blond nurse with big boobs from this morning." She warned him smiling.
He didn't remember that nurse, but he was so happy he could teaser her with that. "Now that you're talking about her, she didn't look bad, not bad at all."
Ziva grabbed the wrapping paper, shaped it into a little ball and softly threw it on Tony making sure to avoid his head. She knew he was just joking, but she was also glad things were back to normal between them.
"Ouch!" He exclaimed as the paper hit his left arm. "You do know I was kidding, right? Besides, in a few weeks you will have nothing to envy her anyway." He said staring at her breast.
"That's what you were thinking of? My breast? I knew I shouldn't have asked you."
"Don't worry, I wasn't thinking about that." He stood up, walked the three steps that separated their beds and sat on hers. "I have something more serious to talk about. You told me yesterday you were pregnant and that's fantastic, but you didn't mention how far along you were."
"Oh, that. Well, the doctor isn't 100 sure because it's quite early, but she said I was around four weeks pregnant. We will know for sure at the next ultrasound." Ziva explained. "But I thought a lot about it last night and I do have my own idea about when it happened."
Tony frowned. Obviously he was very curious to hear what she had in mind.
"You remember our first date, about four weeks ago, and that great French restaurant?...Restaurant where we did not go?" She continued and waited for his reaction.
"You really think it happened back then? Our first time?" He asked.
"Well, it is the only time we forgot to be careful, so it is either that or you got me pregnant despite two different contraceptive methods. And I know you're good Tony, but not that good."
He smiled "Yeah, we got quite carried away that night, but I don't regret anything. It was a perfect night on any levels."
She was pensively looking at Tony and a small satisfied smile drew on her lips as she was replaying that night in her head, with all its details. "It surely was." She finally replied.
Tony stared at Ziva's still flat stomach.
"We're going to be parents. Do you believe that Ziva? I, Anthony DiNozzo, am going to be a father. That's just incredible. I can't wait." Tony said before leaning to her and kiss her to make her feel how much he was in love with what they had become: a family.
FIN
Bye, see you soon with the sequel, I hope.