A/N: This is happening after the last scene of season 9 finale! -I would've liked things to go this way! *sighs* -
I know it's late for a tag like this and I don't usually write tags to the episodes, but I actually dreamed about it, the other night and couldn't resist writing it! I still hadn't watched the season premiere when I wrote this, so there's no spoiler for the new season!
And it's AU, since things didn't (and wouldn't) go this way.
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. All The Way Through .
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It felt like forever before all the shaking and noises stopped and everywhere plunged into an eerie silence.
At first Ziva wasn't sure what was going on around her; things had happened too fast; from the moment that they realized there was a bomb outside the building till the very moment that all hell broke loose!
She knew she wasn't dead, though. She couldn't be. First of all, nothing had really hit her, because Tony had covered her body with his own and second of all, she hadn't even lost consciousness. She knew that the elevator's car hadn't dropped down the shaft.
What she didn't know, though, was why Tony wouldn't move.
"Tony?" She asked quietly, a bit scared that something had happened to him. "Are you alright, Tony?"
"Yes." The answer came after a few seconds of silence.
"Then why do you not move?"
"I..." Tony paused.
Ziva could feel tremor in his voice and that scared her even more.
"Listen." Tony took a breath. "Try to move very slowly and crawl out from under me."
"Why do you not just sit up so I can do the same? What is wrong?"
"I can't sit. I... Can't feel my legs."
"What?" She all but cried.
Tony sighed. "Something hit my back and I-... I think something is broken there. I don't wanna move too much. Will you now just move slowly so I can find a better position? The way I'm lying on you is not exactly helping my back." Trying to hide his nervousness was too hard but he still managed to keep his voice steady.
The moment that the heavy metal had hit his back, he'd felt an excruciating pain running through his back and legs, but the building and the elevator were still shaking, so he didn't have time to think about it.
Once everything finally stopped, he slowly tried to move aside and that was the moment that he realized he couldn't move his legs; not because of the pain, no, the pain in his back was killing him, but his legs were fine. At least he thought so when he didn't feel any pain in them.
But then it hit him, it wasn't just the pain that he couldn't feel in his legs. He couldn't feel anything waist down.
That had scared him to no end; but years of being a cop and facing dangerous situations kept him from panicking.
He wasn't one to lose his hope the very moment things started to look shady.
"You-" Ziva was beyond shocked. What Tony just had confessed to was way worse than anything she'd imagined, well, maybe not worse than death, but still! If Tony couldn't feel his legs, it meant that he was paralyzed, if he was paralyzed then he couldn't- ... No. She couldn't go there. Instead of contemplating the whole thing, she tried to slowly crawl from under Tony and help him find a better position.
The changing in the position made Tony cry out in pain before he could stop himself.
"Sorry. Sorry." Ziva grabbed Tony's shoulder and tried to keep him down before the fallen agent could hurt himself any further.
After some agonizing moment, Tony's breathing finally slowed down and he allowed himself to open his eyes. The way he was lying on the ground was one of the worst positions that he could be in, but when you're stuck in an elevator, there isn't enough room for you to lie on your back and stay still.
"You need to help me up." Tony forced out.
"What?" Ziva's eyes widened.
"I can't lie like this. I should either sit upright and lean against the wall or lie on my back."
"You should lie on your back, then." Ziva decided. "But there is not enough room." She looked at the walls.
"It still would be better than this. Help me. I can't do it myself." Tony confessed.
Ziva knew how much Tony hated to admit being in pain or voice his weakness and she realized that despite the strength in Tony's voice, he must be scared and worried to death.
"You need to sit behind me and try to keep my legs and waist in a straight line. I'll do the rest." Tony instructed.
Taking a look around, Ziva found a piece of ceiling that was big enough to be used as a brace. "Let me put this on your back." She did it with some effort since the piece was heavy. "It is going to be painful, Tony."
"No shit." Tony gritted out, already in pain from being touched around his waist.
Together, they finally moved Tony to his back, but the pain was so intense that when they were done, Tony finally lost consciousness.
"Tony?" Ziva asked worriedly but stopped herself from shaking him just in time. "Please." Swallowing the lump in her throat she decided to gingerly move Tony's legs and make sure he was secure for the moment.
The next thing she had to do was finding a way to contact the outside world. Someone must've realized that they were missing. That was, if anyone was alive. That thought sent shivers through her entire body and she had to shake her head hard in order to get away from negative thoughts.
They were alive and alright. They would find them and Tony would be alright.
"Yes." Tony murmured as he slowly opened his eyes.
"Yes what?" She looked down at him in confusion.
"To everything you said." He blinked and smiled when he saw the shock that was written across her face. "Not a mind reader. You said it out loud."
"Oh." That was all she could say.
"Yeah. Oh." Tony looked around. It was the first time he could see what had really happened to the elevator they were in. "So, I didn't ask earlier. Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"
"No." She shook her head. "A little banged out. That's it."
"Up."
"You can't get up." she Stated incredulously.
"No. It's banged up." Tony explained.
"Oh. OK."
"Anyway you can get out of here?"
"No. I am not leaving you here." She said fiercely.
Rolling his eyes, Tony said, "Don't be so dramatic. That might be the only way to help me. If there's a way you can get out, you should try it." He also wasn't willing to keep his partner there. If the car was about to drop, he didn't want his partner to die, too. And they didn't know how safe they were. The chances that the elevator car would drop before somebody could get to them were high.
"I am not superman. I cannot get out of here, anyway. Maybe I should shout and see if someone can hear me, yes?"
Tony looked around and realized that Ziva had a point. She might've been able to get out from the ceiling if Tony could push her up, but he was in no shape to do that. They were stuck in there. "Yeah, OK. Do that."
Ziva shouted for help and listened carefully afterwards, but there was no sound. Sighing, she leaned against the wall and sank down.
"They'll find us."
"You cannot know that for sure."
"You can't lose your hopes either."
"How can you be so positive." She suddenly snapped. "We are stuck in a stupid elevator; you are hurt and might very well end up paralyzed from the waist down and-" she stopped abruptly.
Tony looked away and then closed his eyes.
"I did not mean that. Sorry." She move forward and touched Tony's arm. "You are going to be just fine."
When Tony didn't respond, she gently grabbed his face and turned it towards herself. "Tony, please. It was totally out of line, I am merely scared. I did not mean it."
"I know. It's OK." Tony finally murmured.
"You will be fine. You can't lose your hope. You just said so yourself."
Tony didn't say that it was exactly the thing that he'd tried to avoid thinking about and knew that he might actually end up paralyzed, which meant his life would change forever. He didn't say that it didn't matter that Ziva hadn't meant what she'd said, because it was the truth that he'd been trying to ignore.
"I really am sorry."
"It's OK."
"No, not just for what I said. I also am sorry for all of these." She waved her hands.
Tony narrowed his eyes. "You're the one who set the bomb? I knew it."
Ziva rolled her eyes. She knew what Tony was doing. "No. I did not do such a thing. But I am sorry for dragging you into the elevator; that was a very stupid thing to do."
"Yes, it was." Tony grinned despite himself. "But what's done is done. Why did you do that anyway?"
"I do not know really." She sighed. "And-... And I am sorry for what happened to you. If you haven't tried to save me-."
"Hey," Tony reached out and grabbed her hand. "It's not your fault. If I hadn't done that, you could've died. I don't regret what I did."
"I do."
"Well, you shouldn't. Choosing the elevator to get out of the building was a stupid mistake, yes. But this isn't your fault. And we'll get out of here. One way or another."
Looking away she tried to hide her tears, but just then the elevator jolted and dropped a few more inches, causing Tony to cry out in agony once again.
Every jolt could cause permanent damage to his spine; that was, if it wasn't damaged already. Squeezing his eyes shut, Tony bit his lower lip and willed the pain away. It wasn't until Ziva touched his chin that he realized his lip was bleeding from where he'd been biting it.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ziva; everything was blurry, but he could see tears on her face before everything faded away.
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Ziva's voice along with some other loud noises was what brought him back to consciousness.
"Hey. Can you hear it? They are here. You are going to be fine." Ziva smiled down at him once his eyes were focused.
"Whu-" he cleared his throat slightly and tried again. "What's going on? How long was I out?"
"About two hours. You really scared me when you would not wake up." She sighed. "It is fine, now. They have found us. Guess you were right."
"I'm always right." Tony smiled weakly, the pain was getting worse and he was exhausted.
Right then the doors opened and they saw the head of a fireman appearing below them. Or Ziva did, Tony couldn't really move that much to see anything other than the ceiling and the walls.
The elevator had stopped right above one of the floors, but the space was wide enough for them to slide out and jump to the floor. That was if one of them wasn't half paralyzed.
"You two can come out now." The fireman said. "Just hurry up; we tried to stabilize the elevator, but we can't be sure how long it will last."
Exchanging a look with Ziva, Tony nodded towards the door. "Go. Hurry up."
"No."
The fireman rolled his eyes; people always got heroes in cases like this and they didn't have time for that. "Look, you both can come out. No need to worry. Just hurry up."
"You do not understand." Ziva sounded exasperated. "He cannot move."
"What?" The man frowned.
"I can't feel my legs." Tony explained.
The fireman's eyes widened before turning his head and shouting to someone on his left side. "We need a stretcher here. STAT. And Bill, we have a situation." Looking back at Ziva, he said, "You can move, right?"
She nodded.
"Good, then come out."
"No-"
Right then another guy arrived to the scene and looked inside. "You need to come out so I can go in and help him, Lady. There's not enough room for both of us in there."
"Go, Ziva." Tony pushed her with his right hand.
"Sorry." Ziva murmured, before moving reluctantly and leaving the temporarily stable elevator.
Less than a second later the paramedic's face appeared above Tony's head and the man started to examine him, while smiling and introducing himself. "I'm sure you heard Jack calling my name. I'm Bill."
"Tony." He smiled back.
"OK, Tony. From 1 to 10, how bad is your pain?"
"Not too bad, 4 or 5." Tony answered.
"That means 8 or 9 for him." Ziva's voice came from the outside; she'd left the cabin, but had refused to go away until it was absolutely necessary.
"Well, good thing I'm prepared. I'll just give you something for your pain and-"
"No." Tony cut him off. "Don't. I can bear it."
"There's no need for you to bear it."
"I'm alright." He insisted.
Contemplating for a second, Bill suggested, "Just a low dose?"
Sighing, Tony finally gave in.
"OK." Bill said, after he administered the IV and gave him the painkiller; he then grabbed a cervical collar and put it around Tony's neck.
"My neck is fine."
"You're about to ride on a gurney, this is necessary." Bill explained. "OK. Now I have to stabilize your spinal column. It'll hurt, especially since you won't let me give you any of the good painkillers, but my partner and I will be very careful and fast, so you wouldn't feel too much pain."
That was the first time that Tony realized there was someone else in the cabin with them; silently he wondered if the elevator cables could stand the extra weight.
Outside the elevator, Ziva was standing with a hand over her mouth, watching the scene in the elevator's car when she heard her name being called from behind. Turning around, she saw Gibbs and McGee approaching her and jogged towards the older man and hugged him. She'd been worried for everyone else, but Tony was the one that had been with her the whole time and she knew he was hurt bad.
"Hey, hey, calm down." Gibbs soothed.
"You alright?" McGee asked.
Nodding her head, she finally stepped back and bit her lower lip while glancing back at the elevator. That made Gibbs' gut churn, but before he could voice his fear, McGee opened his mouth, "What's it, Ziva?"
Tears started to well up in her eyes.
"Ziva, what's wrong? Is Tony in there?" Gibbs shook her slightly.
Nodding her head, she looked up into the blue eyes. "It is all my fault, Gibbs. It is all my fault."
"Hush." Gibbs looked behind her to the elevator, but stayed where he was and tried to calm Ziva down, so he could find out what was wrong with his SFA. "Tell me, Ziva. What's wrong with him?"
"He cannot feel his legs." She almost sobbed; the fear that she'd tried to bottle up was finally taking over and she couldn't control it anymore. "I dragged him into the elevator and when the bomb went off, he covered my body with his own. A piece of ceiling must have hit his back because when everything stopped, he could not move or feel anything waist down."
McGee looked horrified and couldn't move from his spot. They'd been trying to find Tony and Ziva for a while now and although there were many casualties, he wasn't prepared for this.
Gibbs squeezed Ziva's shoulder one last time and pushed her towards McGee as he passed her to get to the elevator.
Right then, one of the men exited the cabin and reached inside and grabbed one end of the stretcher and slowly stepped back. Soon they had Tony out; he was strapped to the stretcher and looked like death warmed over.
Gazing around, Tony's eyes fell on Gibbs and smiled wearily. "Hey, Boss."
Taking two quick steps forward, Gibbs was instantly by his fallen agent's side. "You are gonna be alright."
Tony frowned but didn't comment on that, instead he asked, "You alright? What about Abby and McGee?"
"We're fine." Gibbs reassured.
Nodding his head as best as he could, Tony looked around and took in the destroyed building.
"We've to take him to the hospital, Sir." One of the medics announced.
Gibbs looked up from Tony's pain-stricken face and nodded. "I'll be there shortly." He said and then looked down again. "You're gonna be fine. You hear me?"
"Yes, Boss." Tony replied finally as they started to leave.
"Tony," McGee's voice stopped them as the younger man quickly walked to the stretcher.
"Hey, Probie. I'm glad you're alright."
McGee just nodded his head, pressing his lips tightly together. He couldn't say anything and just squeezed his friend's shoulder before they finally took his stretcher outside.
"Can't we go to the hospital with him?" McGee turned around and asked his Boss.
"We will. Let's make sure there's nothing we could do here first and then we'll go to the hospital. There's nothing we can do there now." Gibbs answered and walked away.
This was what he'd been afraid of. He was worried for everyone, but his team was his first priority and he wanted, more than anything, to make sure they were fine.
But trust Tony to be the only one hurt on his team. If the younger man was somewhere and there was any way for him to save the others, even by endangering his own life, he sure would do that; as he'd done over and over again during the years he'd worked with him.
Of course, Gibbs was happy that Ziva was alright due to Tony's heroic action, but Tony was too important to him. He couldn't lose the younger man. And yes, he might not be in an imminent danger of dying, but he could end up paralyzed and knowing Tony, that would be just as bad for the younger man. Someone like Tony would die slowly if he had to spend the rest of his life in a chair.
But no; he'd be fine.
And if, God forbid, he should end up in a wheelchair, they'd find a way to show him that his life hadn't ended and he was still very much needed and wanted. His skills didn't end in his legs. There was plenty he could do while sitting behind a desk, and even though it'd be torturous for the younger man, he'd always been able to deal with his problems and move on.
Tony was the most stubborn and resilient man Gibbs had ever known.
He'd be fine. Gibbs would make sure of it.
Outside the building, one of the agents walked to Gibbs and told him that Abby had gone to the hospital with Tony and that she'd asked him to tell Gibbs about it.
Gibbs was glad that Tony wasn't alone and Abby had something to do instead of sitting around and watching the whole mess. If she was with Tony, she'd concentrate just on making Tony feel better and that was what they both needed.
...
Two hours later Gibbs and his two remaining agents finally got to the hospital to see if they could find something about their fallen teammate.
They asked for some information and found their way to the waiting room where Abby was sitting on one of the chairs, lost in her thoughts.
"Abs." Gibbs called.
Looking up, Abby smiled tiredly as she met McGee and Ziva for the first time. Tony had told her that they were both fine and that was why she hadn't seen any reason to stay back at the Yard while her friend was being moved to the hospital. "Aww, Tim. Ziva. I'm so happy you are both fine."
They both smiled at her, showing that they were just as happy to see the Lab. technician; but none of them was really relieved since one of the most important people in their lives had been hurt and no one knew what would happen next.
Of course, every single one of them was important to the others, but Tony was somehow different. If Gibbs was the head of the group, Tony was the heart. They simply would be devastated if the vibrant agent was removed from their lives.
"Any word on Tony?" Gibbs asked the Goth.
Shaking her head, Abby sighed. "They took him to the surgery. I haven't heard anything since then." It wasn't like Abby to sit there and answer so shortly, but after what they had been through that day, that wasn't really unexpected.
"How long has it been?" Ziva asked quietly.
"Umm," checking the clock on the wall, Abby shrugged. "Around one hour, I think. Nobody says anything to me." She looked at Gibbs sadly.
"I'm sure someone will be out soon." Gibbs sat beside her and pulled her into a half hug. "He's strong. He'll be fine, Abby."
"I know. He was trying to reassure me. How funny is that?" She swallowed hard. "But Gibbs, there was something in his eyes; like he didn't believe it himself. What would we do if-" she looked down at her hands.
"That's not gonna happen, but if it does, then we'll get through it together."
"Can we do that? Because I don't think any one of us can really understand how hard this is for him."
Ziva couldn't take it anymore; she was blaming herself for what had happened to Tony and the thought of her partner down was too much for her to take. She took off, saying something about Coffee under her breath.
McGee looked at Gibbs and receiving a nod, he followed her.
"Abs, I'm not saying this is gonna be easy, but Tony can take it. You know how stubborn he is." Gibbs tried to reassure her, even though he had his own doubts.
"Yes."
"And we still don't know anything. He might not even end up paralyzed. We don't need to borrow trouble."
"I couldn't be strong, Gibbs. I wanted to reassure him, to tell him that he'd be fine and that there was just no other options, but I couldn't." The events of the day were taking their toll on her.
Turning around in his seat, Gibbs hugged her fully and allowed her to feel safe again and cry all her fears out.
A few minutes later, Abby finally calmed down and pulled back. "Things are bad, Gibbs. Like really really bad."
"They are."
"I can't remember a time when we've faced something like this. Not even when Tony got the plague; or when you left; or even when Director Shepard died and Vance separated us."
"They all were bad situations and yet we've pulled through. We can do it again and I'll make sure those who are responsible will pay for this."
"Oh, yes. You have to do that. For Tony and for everyone who died or got injured today."
"We'll do it together."
"And Tony will help." She tried to involve Tony as if nothing had happened. "You and Tony are unbreakable together." She gave the man a watery smile.
Gibbs grinned. "Of course, there's a reason he's my SFA."
The smile dropped off Abby's face. "He still will be your SFA, right? I mean even if he can't walk."
"I haven't hired him just because he could outrun me." Gibbs smiled. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but he can sit behind a desk and still solve the case all on his own."
Abby chuckled at that. "Yeah, I suppose he can if he stops trying so hard to hide his skills."
"We brought you coffee." McGee announced as he and Ziva walked into the waiting room a few seconds later; Ziva's eyes were red-rimmed. "And guess what, Abby? They even had Caf-Paw."
Delight shone in Abby's eyes. "Aw, Give me." She was feeling much better after talking to Gibbs. That was what Gibbs and Tony were so good at. She could feel like it was the end of the world and those two could change that view in a matter of minutes. They had different ways, of course, but both their ways were effective.
Half an hour later, finally, the door to the operating room opened and a doctor walked out.
Getting to his feet, Gibbs asked about Tony.
"Agent DiNozzo is stable." The doctor started. "The good news is that his spinal cord wasn't permanently damaged; he has a cracked lumbar vertebra, but luckily it wasn't broken and there were no bone fragments."
"So he can walk again? He's not paralyzed?" Abby asked hurriedly.
"It might take some time, but as long as he takes his time and goes through the physical therapy, yes, he should be able to get back on his feet."
"What's the bad new?" Gibbs asked. He wasn't used to receive just good news; he knew that there was always a 'but'.
"Umm, that can't really be counted as bad news. It's just that there are severe bruising and swelling around his L4 nerve, and that's why he couldn't feel or move his legs." The doctor explained. "We have to wait for the swelling to go down to see how bad is his spinal cord damaged."
"You just said it wasn't damaged."
"I said it wasn't permanently damaged. Of course there's some damage to it and depending on how bad the damage is, the physical therapy and its duration will change."
"How long till he can feel his legs again?"
"Again, it depends-"
"How long till the swelling goes down?" Gibbs cut him off impatiently.
"The swelling varies from one person to the next, but it shouldn't take more than one month, two weeks at least, and as soon as it starts to go down, he'll get back feeling in his legs, albeit slowly. We'll start the physical therapy from there and hopefully he'll be back on his feet in a couple of months."
McGee's eyes widened. "Two months?"
"It's better than the alternative, I believe."
Swallowing hard, McGee nodded his head. Of course, it was better. But he couldn't imagine how hard it'd be for Tony to be stuck in a chair for two months.
"Will he be able to get back to the field?" Gibbs asked, as he tried to hide his fears. He might've reassured Abby, but he knew Tony too well. The younger man might hide it, but he'd never be the same person again if his life changed like that.
"If everything goes well, I don't see any reason why not. It'll take a bit longer than two months for him to be able to actually run around and do whatever he does in the field. But with some support and good exercises he'll be able to do just anything."
Hearing that, everyone finally sighed with relief.
"It won't be easy, though, as I'm sure you all know. He's going to face some really hard time and unfortunately it'll also be very painful. He'll need all the support he can get."
"Oh, he won't be alone." Abby sounded determined. "We'll be with him all the way through, even if he doesn't want us there. Right guys?" She looked at the others, receiving more determined looks and nods.
"One more question; how much sooner can he get back to desk duty?" Gibbs inquired.
"I can't answer that question for sure, but once he leaves the bed and can sit easily, he can start his work. Sooner than that would be just dangerous."
Nodding his understanding, Gibbs thought about ways to keep Tony's mind off his problem while still lying on his back.
"He'll be moved to a room shortly and then you can see him. I should go if there isn't any other question."
They let the doctor go, but Gibbs noted that Ziva had been quiet the whole time. Knowing what was going through her head, he pulled her aside, "What happened today wasn't you fault, Ziva."
She looked away. "It was. I should have thought better before forcing him into the elevator."
Gibbs frowned. "Yes, but Tony doesn't blame you. He saved your life and he'll be fine himself. That should be enough and you should be thankful. I can't let you see him if you're gonna be like this."
"I am thankful and I have-" she paused, realizing that she hadn't actually thanked Tony. "I will thank him."
"Good. But that's not enough, you wanna fix your mistake? Be there for him. He doesn't need your pity or regret. You heard the doctor; he's gonna have a rough two months ahead of him and the only thing we can do for him is to be there for him at each and every step."
"I understand." She wiped her eyes.
"Good, that's good." Gibbs nodded and turned back to the others. "OK, everyone, we've got work to do. Let's go see DiNozzo and then get back to work. We need to find the bastard who did this to us."
And he'd find him and make him regret the day he was born. No one messed with his family and walked away. Because this wasn't just about some terrorist attacks to the Navy Yard, anymore. It was about hurting his family and everyone knew how protective of his family Gibbs was.
He'd make them pay!
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-The End-
A/N: Let me know what you think? :)
Sorry for any mistakes.
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