Mission: Interrupted

Chapter 39 - Like Riding a Bike

It took a lot to shock a woman like Ziva McAndrews considering the trajectory of her life up to this moment, but here she was standing with her mouth hanging open in the vet's office.

"I'm sorry, did you say 150 pounds?"

"Well, that's just an estimate. It could vary by ten to twenty pounds either way depending on how much exercise he gets and how much you feed him." The man gave a sympathetic shrug. "My best guess is that Waylon here is half Great Dane and half Bloodhound. Both are very big breeds, and believe it or not he's underweight right now. I've given him all the vaccinations he needs and Howie groomed him and got his nails and footpads cleaned up and treated. The rest is up to you; you'll need some high protein dog food and lots of it."

Ziva shook her head at this information as she stared into those eyes that had captured her heart. "Good thing I've got an extra bed... looks like I just adopted a teenage boy."

After loading two forty pound bags of large breed dog food, some chew toys, and a harness leash into her Land Cruiser, Ziva and Waylon headed over to Norman's house. He was having a barbeque for several of the cast and crew and they were planning to ease everyone into the idea of them being a couple. There was the added benefit of his house having a large fenced-in backyard where Waylon could roam free.

Voices could be heard coming from the backyard, so Ziva led Waylon through the gate and took his leash off once inside. He immediately took off running after a squirrel, tripping and rolling over a tree root in the process.

"Jeeezus, that's one clumsy ass animal!" Michael bellowed around the ever present cigar in his mouth. "The two of you together is like watching a gazelle lead an elephant around."

"Hey, that's my firstborn you're talking about Cuddy... don't make me go mother bear on you."

Ziva joined the group on the deck, walking straight to Norman and kissed his scruffy cheek. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand, their gazes locked for several seconds until Andy spoke up.

"Hey Ziva, how'd the vet visit go?"

"Great, thanks for the recommendation. Doctor Roy was great; Waylon took right to him and Howie."

"Did he know what kind of dog he is?"

"His best guess was half Great Dane and half Bloodhound, which means that clumsy ass puppy is going to turn into a clumsy ass giant that could weigh up to 150 pounds!"

From next to her came the sound of Norman spitting out his drink. "Holy shit!"

"Right?!? And he said that when he's full grown he'll stand over 6 feet on his hind legs. I guess I'll give him the guest bedroom."

"You having second thoughts? It's a big commitment." Andy asked with raised eyebrows. Ziva met Norman's gaze for a brief moment before answering.

"Not at all, Andy; I'm not afraid of the commitment. I'm in it for long-haul."

Norman slung an arm around Andy's shoulders and turned him towards the huge grill. "Alright, we got a lot of meat and vegetables to get on this grill. Let's pretend we know what we're doing." As they walked away, Norman turned his head and winked at Ziva, who immediately got butterflies.

A voice over Ziva's shoulder chuckled, "Somebody's getting laid tonight..."

Ziva turned to see Alanna smirking at her. She grinned at her and said, "Maybe..."