I was checking my usb stick on which I keep my stories saved and I came across this one. I thought I should finish this one and wrote chapter 4 but when I wanted to publish it I realised I never even uploaded chapter one. Weird, since it isn't that bad, so why not go ahead. Anyway this takes place just after Abby has given Ziva a bone crushing hug in the season's opening episode. I don't know if the medical stuff I wrote is even possible but guess what it's FanFiction. I had someone beta read this for me and she is called Special Agent Stace and to her I apologize for completly forgetting this story but not matter what I am thankfull that she did it for me even if I forgot. (I still cannot think of a reason why...I still have a feeling I did publish it but I cannot find it anywere on my account here in fanfiction land) So enjoy and there at least 4 more chapters coming your way in the next couple of days)

Running on Empty

Abby was still hugging her, wasn't about to let her go anytime soon. Abby wanted to reassure her friend that she was home, safe but then Abby felt Ziva's slipping through her arms.

"Guys, ….oh god guys help me. I can't hold her." Abby cried.

Gibbs, McGee and Ducky quickly crowded around Abby, Ziva had fainted in Abby's arms.

"Downstairs" Ducky ordered. " I can take a look at her there but we need to get her to a real hospital as soon as possible. Who knows what they did to her. She looks malnourished to begin with"

Gibbs lifted Ziva up and was astonished by her weight. He could feel her bones sticking out, her clothes had masked it, but he was feeling it now.

"She has lost a hell of a lot of weight, Duck."

Ducky nodded. "I know, I know, let's just get her downstairs. Timothy, please call Bethesda Hospital and tell them we are on our way with a former POW who has been tortured and is severely malnourished" In all the chaos Ducky forgot that McGee knew all the details too.

Ducky was horrified by the amount of weight loss Ziva had lost. It was a mystery how she had even survived. He quickly checked her out in his morgue and after McGee gave the signal that he had informed Bethesda he gave Gibbs the okay to move Ziva from the table to the car that was waiting for them in the garage.

Tony was determined to drive, but the others quickly vetoed that idea since he looked like a walking zombie. Instead Gibbs forced him into the passenger seat en driven like a maniac to get Ziva safe and sound to Bethesda.

'Dammit they should have taken her to hospital as soon as we landed' Tony thought angrily to himself. Now he realized why they hadn't taken more notice of her distress. They all had been so darn proud and relieved to have gotten her out of Africa and knowing that Ziva didn't like to express much emotion even in everyday situations, they didn't even bother to ask her how she was feeling. Tony felt shivers running down his spine. He remembered when McGee had cut her free she she stood over Saleem's dead body en spat. Then she snarled something in Arabic, and that sentence was the last she had spoken.

When they arrived at Bethesda, the others had followed in a separate car, there were quite a few nurses and doctors waiting for them at the emergency entrance. Ziva hadn't made a sound or even moved a bit during the drive there, but when they tried to move her from the car to a stretcher she made a sound as if she was in pain. As soon as they were in the hospital, Ziva began to shake violently. The doctors and nurses began to shout all sorts of medical terms that only Ducky, who had become very pale, may have had a chance of understanding.

He turned around. The rest of the team were looking at him expectantly, desperately wanting information, any information.

"I didn't catch all of it but as far as I can understand it she is having a seizure due to a extreme high body temperature. I think one of the doctors called it the desert variety of malaria. It's caused due to infection of wounds and a poor immune system. And her poor general state clearly isn't exactly helping either"

"Why didn't she say something. Why didn't she tell you guys she wasn't feeling well" Abby was nearly in tears.

No-one spoke up, because no-on could explain Ziva's silence.