I do not own any of the characters in this story.
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Bang. Tony saw it happen, almost as if in slow motion. He saw a bright flash from the corner of his eye. He heard the window smash as he rolled on top of Ziva. He saw the horror in her eyes and felt her arms wrap around him as he kissed her. He felt the sharp sting and the excrutiating pain as the bullet hit him in the back of his shoulder. He heard Ziva scream as she rolled him onto his side, covered in his blood. The last thing he saw were Ziva's brown eyes filled with fear.
Everything happened so quickly. Ziva grabbed Tony's discarded shirt from the floor and wrapped it tightly around his right bicep. She placed one of her hands on his face and the other on his neck, searching for a pulse. Her hands shook violently as she pressed her two fingers to his neck. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself as she felt a little pulse under her fingers. She jumped off the bed and grabbed her phone from the desk. She speed dialled Gibbs. Trying to control herself she glanced at Tony, he lay lifelessly on the bed.
" Pick up Gibbs. Pick up," She whispered desperately through her tears.
"Hello?"
Ziva wiped her tears from her cheeks.
"Gibbs, it's me," Ziva whispered hoarsely.
"Ziva? Are you okay?"
Ziva couldn't take it any longer as she stared at Tony, bloody and pale. She shook with each sob tears rolling down her cheeks.
"It's Tony. He's been shot" She cried. The words rang out in the silence. Ziva got onto the bed and held the blood soaked T-shirt as hard as she could with one hand, the other holding the phone to her ear as she heard Gibbs shout down the line.
"Geez Ziva. Stay there. I'll be there in five minutes"
"I'm at T-" Ziva sobbed, but the line had clicked off.
She put the phone down next to her and grabbed Tony's shoulder with her other hand. She let the tears roll down her face as she shook violently after every sob, gasping for air. She looked down at Tony's pale face and watched as her tears splashed on his face.
"McGEE!" Gibbs shouted
"Yeah boss?" McGee looked up from his computer.
Gibbs stormed to his desk grabbing placing his coffee on the desk as he grabbed his gear. He then stormed towards the elevator.
"McGee!" Gibbs growled. McGee jumped up from his desk grabbing his gear as fast as he could, he glanced at the abandoned coffee sitting on Gibbs' desk as he raced to the elevator. Gibbs had pressed the button. He stood waiting for the elevator his hand resting on the button. He bashed it in again.
"C'mon McGee!" Gibbs motioned towards the stairs, McGee followed. Both McGee and Gibbs ran to the parking lot. Gibbs jumped in the car, started the engine and took off as soon as McGee had closed his door. The black company car sped out of the parking lot and through the entrance out onto the deserted streets. Gibbs stepped on the accelerator and McGee braced himself as Gibbs turned right down a narrow alleyway and then into another one lined with trash cans. Gibbs spun the car into a deserted street and sped down to the intersection, ignoring the red light.
"Gibbs, Where are we going?" McGee spoke quietly, with concern.
Gibbs clenched his jaw.
"To Tony's"
McGee's face suddenly became very pale.
"Are Ziva and Tony alright Boss?"
Gibbs gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the gas.
"Gibbs?" McGee whispered, but he already knew the answer.
They both stared straight ahead as they sped along the long dark street.
The ambulance arrived just under five minutes after Ziva had called Gibbs . The longest 4 minutes and 50 seconds in her life. The bleeding had slowed but Ziva still gripped Tony's shoulder solidly with her shaking hands.
The first things the paramedics saw when they entered Tony's bedroom was Ziva crying uncontrollably, clutching Tony's shoulder. At that very moment a black company car pulled up outside the entrance to Tony's apartment building. Gibbs got out and ran to the entrance and up the stairs two at a time while McGee strode over to talk to the Paramedics and metro.
Two men lifted Tony onto a stretcher and hooked him up to the oxygen. They raced him downstairs to the awaiting van. Gibbs pushed past them to find Ziva standing with another paramedic. He grabbed Ziva and wrapped her in his arms as she melted into him and sobbed harder than she had ever done in her life, letting her tears soak into Gibbs' shirt. Gibbs stroked Ziva's hair.
"Tony's –"
"It's okay Ziva. Shhh it's okay" Gibbs whispered in Ziva's ear. She hugged him tighter trying to erase the memory Tony's helpless body. Gibbs kept his arm around Ziva's waist as he led her to the door.
"Ahh Sir?" Gibbs ignored the paramedic that had just grabbed his arm.
"Sir we have to take her..."
"She's alright, I will take care of her, I promise" Gibbs drew a cross on his chest and flashed a half smile at the paramedic as he left Tony's apartment.
Ziva was greatful for Gibbs taking her home but what she really wanted to do was hold Tony's hand in the ambulance. Gibbs took Ziva down to the car and helped her into the passenger seat. Ziva watched as the paramedics hurriedly loaded Tony into the back of the van. Metro had left now, Gibbs strode over and exchanged some words with the paramedics that McGee couldn't quite hear.
"What do I do boss?" McGee felt helpless seeing Ziva, her eyes red and puffy staring into the distance.
"McGee, ride in the ambulance with Tony and as soon as he is taken into surgery, let me know"
"Yes Boss" McGee started to climb into the back of the ambulance.
"Then you come straight back here and head the investigation" Gibbs started to walk towards the car.
"but B-" Gibbs spun on his heels to face McGee.
"McGee, just because it's one of our own agents in this investigation doesn't mean we stop working, it means we work harder,"
Gibbs strode off shouting the last bit of the sentence over his shoulder "So we can find the bastard that did this!"
McGee smiled and sat down next to the third paramedic. Gibbs climbed into the car and sped off, eyeing Ziva from the corner of his eye. They said nothing as they drove to Gibbs' house and nothing as he helped Ziva out of the car. Gibbs took Ziva straight to the shower as she was covered in Tony's blood. He grabbed one of his old NIS shirts and put it on the sink and then turned on the water.
"Ziva, if you need anything just call" Ziva nodded and Gibbs walked out of the bathroom shutting the door behind him. He made himself some coffee and then pulled his cell phone out from his pocket. He dialled Abby's number.
"Gibbs!" Abby's voice sounded cheerful on the other end of the phone.
"Hey Abbs" Gibbs tried to sound as upbeat as Abby it sounded wrong.
"What happened?" Abby's voice now sounded worried.
"Why do you think something happened Abby? Is that the only time I call you?" Gibbs forced out a laugh.
"It's 1 o'clock in the morning Gibbs. You only ring me at that time if someone has died," Abby gasped, "Are Ziva, Tony and McGee okay?" Abby's voice wavered.
"Yeh. Yeh, Ziva and McGee are okay Abby."
"Gibbs! What happened to Tony?"
"Okay Abbs, don't get too upset. Tony has been shot," Gibbs winced as he said the words.
"What!?" Abby yelled down the line, "Gibbs! Why didn't you just tell me? Where is he now? Is he alright? Oh my God Tony! Was there anyone with him?" Gibbs had tuned out as Abby shot questions at him. He strained his ears to hear the shower but Abby interupte his thoughts.
"Gibbs!"
"He's at Bethesda, McGee's gonna call me when he goes into surgery, it shouldn't be long now. Zi-"
Abby cut him off.
"McGee's there?" Abby's voice sounded slightly more cheerful when she said "McGee". Gibbs smiled.
"Yes Abby, McGee is there."
"I'm going to go and see Tony. Oh my God, I can't believe he was shot," Abby sounded worried again. Gibbs didn't undestand how Abby could change from happy to sad in such a short period of time.
"I'll call Ducky and ask him if he wants to come with me. Bye Gibbs"
"Bye Abbs"
Gibbs ended the call. He took a swig of coffee from his mug and walked over to the bathroom door. The water was running but it didn't sound like Ziva was using it. He knocked on the door.
"Come in" Ziva's soft voice came from the otherside of the door. Gibbs opened the door and saw Ziva huddled in the corner of the shower, in her black dress, letting the water run over her. Gibbs walked over to the shower and opened the door. Silently, Gibbs sat down next to her and put his arm around her and cried silently his shoulder.