NCIS One Shots

Aftermath of PTSD Symptoms

Setting: Post Somalia

Pairing: Z/G (Father-daughter Relationship)

TW: Trauma, PTSD

Ziva David/Leroy Jethro Gibbs POV (Third Person Omniscient)

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Summary:

Post Somalia Trauma Symptoms and the aftermath of PTSD Symptoms

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Another night, another sleepless tosses and turns in bed.

Ziva hadn't been able to get a night of decent sleep since she got back.

The dull four walls of her bedroom just made her feel so empty and alone like the cell in the middle of nowhere in the desert.

 She would throw herself into work but Gibbs had ordered her to go home and rest for the rest of the afternoon.

She had been making up excuses, avoiding sleep at all costs, the nightmares and flashbacks that came with sleep were not pleasant. 

She thought she had been doing a good job of masking the lack of sleep, but apparently not good enough that Gibbs noticed.

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The next morning she was back in the office way too early in the morning again.

"Hey Ziver, got rest last night?" Gibbs came into the bullpen after 30 minutes of waiting.

"Yes, thanks for making me go home." Ziva lied.

Gibbs saw through her lie but didn't say anything, just only hoping that Ziva was better.

"What time did you get in?" He asked sipping his coffee.

"0400" Ziva answered.

"What are you doing here so early?" Gibbs questioned.

"Waiting to start work." The brunette replied blankly.

Gibbs shook his head and went off to get more coffee.

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As the week progressed, PTSD symptoms were becoming more and more obvious and her sleep deprivation just heightened them. 

The hyperarousal, the irritability, the mood changes, the franticness in speech (especially during the night) to the almost self-destructive behavior... 

It was not a good sign for a person who just went through a traumatic event.

She was showing all the signs of PTSD, and on top of that, she absolutely refused to talk about what happened out there and pretended as if nothing ever happened and she was perfectly fine.

It was not affecting the quality of her work, Ziva wouldn't let it, she held herself to an impossibly high standard. But now not only Gibbs, Tony and McGee had also noticed these changes.

So once again, Gibbs had to intervene and talk to Ziva about the behavior, he knew something was wrong.

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"Ziver, come here," Gibbs said to her gently, gesturing for her to follow him.

The brunette followed him to a quiet space in the back.