Alternative Pyramid

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Chapter Nineteen - The Idea of Hope

The rest of the weekend passed in a blur. Ziva did indeed come down with a cold, and Tony wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Of course, he hated to see her ill and miserable, but at least if she felt that way, she couldn't run away from him when it all became too much. Sunday had been a hard day. Ziva had not left her bed, except to go to the bathroom. Tony knew that she was trying to avoid talking about anything, but it hurt him to see her so shut down again. He decided to give her space however, and apart from supplying drinks and films, he let her suffer in silence. Tony knew that Ziva would talk to him when she was ready. It made him dread monday even more though. He truly did not know what to do, or how to react. The past two years, Ziva had kept it very quiet and the date had passed without much thought. But after all she had been through in the last few months, Tony knew it was raw again.

Tony woke up on monday morning to an empty bed. He frowned as he worried that Ziva had left the house, and he knew that she was still not feeling well. She had been awake for the most part of the night, either coughing, sneezing or the dreaded nightmares. She had allowed Tony to comfort her though, which had made him feel better. Tony sighed as he dragged himself out of bed. He would be glad when this day was over. He was sure it was just a milestone that Ziva had to get through, and he was confident that she would be more like herself tomorrow. He wandered out to the living room, and saw Ziva huddled up on the couch. He sat next to her and stroked her hair.

"How long have you been out here?" Tony asked, taking in her pale face and puffy eyes.

"Since about 05:00. I could no longer lay in bed thinking and it was not fair to keep you awake" Ziva replied in a monotone voice.

"You know I don't mind Ziva. That's what I'm here for. Let me make us some tea. How are you feeling?"

"I will be glad when this day has ended. And I will also be pleased when I no longer have to blow my nose every three seconds"

"Well, I intend to look after you today. Anything you want, you get. Unless it means leaving you which is not an option"

"Thank-you Tony. I do not deserve you"

"And I don't deserve you. You need to drink more fluids, you still have a fever" Tony said as he walked into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

"I am sorry Tony"

"What on earth for?"

"I have treated you badly the last couple of days. I know that you have been desperate to help me, but I have always faced the anniversary on my own. This is the first time I have been with someone, and I am not used to anyone else caring"

"Ziva, we always cared. I feel bad that you have spent the last two years going through this alone. But you have me now, and you don't have to do it alone. These arms were made for holding you Ziva, and they are not letting you go"

Ziva walked into his embrace and allowed her guard to fall down. Suddenly the torrent of emotions started to flood and she began to sob. Tony lowered them down onto the couch and held Ziva in her arms as her body shook. There was silence for the following hour, apart from a few heaving sobs and a couple of sneezes. Eventually Ziva cried herself to sleep, and her body relaxed for the first time in days. Tony waited until he was sure that she was in a deep enough sleep, and then carried her through to the bedroom. He tucked her up in bed, and then cursed out loud when he realised she had fallen asleep without drinking anything. Her cheeks were still flushed with fever, and she looked exhausted even in her sleep.

Tony was pondering whether he shoudl wake Ziva or not to force some fluids into her when his phone began to ring. He stepped out of the bedroom and answered.

"Hey Boss"

"How is she DiNozzo?"

"To say the last two days have been rough would be an understatement. She's barely coping and to make things worse, she's sick"

"You need us to do anything? Abby's been chomping at the bit to visit, but I doubt that's the best idea?"

"Actually Boss, I think that dinner tonight with everyone would be the perfect thing to do. We have spent too long mourning this date, when it should be a celebration of Ziva's rescue. Tell everyone to meet here at seven. It would be handy for the duckman to check Ziva over too"

"Let me know if the situation changes"

"Sure thing Boss"

Tony hung up the phone and smiled to himself. He truly hoped that he had done the right thing and that Ziva would not be mad.

Two hours later, Tony was half watching a movie, and half dozing on the couch. He stirred when he heard movement in the bedroom. A few seconds later, Ziva shuffled into the room.

"I am sorry. I did not mean to sleep for so long" Ziva apologised as she sat next to Tony on the couch.

"Hey, no need for sorrys. How are you feeling? You look a bit more rested" Tony placed his hand on her forehead and frowned when the heat hit him.

"I think this cold is going to linger longer than I would like, but I do feel better for the sleep"

"I want you to take some medicine, drink some water and then think about an idea I had for tonight"

"What have you done Tony?"

"Boss phoned earlier to check on you, everyones worried about you. I decided to invite them for dinner tonight. Now before you shoot me down, I think it is about time that we started to celebrate having you in our lives, and not thinking about what might have been"

"Tony, those three months were the worst three months of my life. What happened there will never leave me, and I am entitled to have one day where I am allowed to grieve"

"No-one is saying that you can't grieve Ziva, but we as a team want this date to be a positive date. I went to Africa thinking you were dead Ziva. But I got you back, and I will be eternally grateful for that fact. I love you so much, I don't want to see you hurt anymore. I want to make everything better. And to do that, the team needs to be together"

"Very well. I may not feel up to much food, but by all means everyone can come. But please do not be angry if I cannot cope and I need to be by myself"

"We've got ourselves a deal" Tony agreed.

There was still plenty of time for things to go wrong, but for the first time that weekend, Tony began to feel positive again. He looked over at Ziva with pride, and could only hope that this would last.

The next chapter will see the team family gathering and hopefully Ziva moving on...What do you think and what do you want to see?