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The team was exhausted. They hadn't left to eat or sleep since they arrived at the hospital. It was hard to get answers out of the doctors and Gibbs was getting more and more frustrated. He understood they were doing their jobs, but couldn't someone stop for a minute and give him some damn answers?
He had been in this place, at least mentally, plenty of times before. Somalia, the plague, the bombing, that damn elevator
But this time felt different. At first, he couldn't put a finger on it, but then he slowly understood. This accident was human. Somalia was on another continent. A special operation. The plague was, well, the plague. And the bombing. All were such extenuating circumstances, things that were extreme occurrences. This? This was normal.
Anthony DiNozzo was in a car accident. A potentially deadly car accident. The whole team felt how real this was. How at any moment, something could happen to any of them. Sure, they dealt with liars, killers, even terrorists, on a semi-consistent basis. But for something as simple as a car accident to take out one of their best agents? It felt surreal. It felt inadequate.
A doctor walked out, and the three immediately stood: Gibbs, stoic on the outside but worried on the inside, McGee, looking as tired and pale as ever, and Ziva, remnants of silent tears still shining on her face.
"We stopped the bleeding in his brain," he said. "That was the most pressing problem. He's unconscious and we won't know the repercussions until he wakes up. Now we will be monitoring him for swelling and further possible bleeds."
Ziva's silent tears had started falling again.
"As for the rest of the damage, we've done the best we could. His body has been through a great deal of trauma and we can't do anything more without putting him into shock. He miraculously only suffered minor burns, which we dealt with. He also suffered three broken ribs and a spinal cord injury-"
"A spinal cord injury?" Gibbs interrupted.
"Yes, unfortunately. When the car spun out and Mr. DiNozzo was thrown through the windshield, he-"
"What?!" Ziva yelled and gasped simultaneously. She lowered herself slowly back into the waiting room chair that was luckily right behind her. McGee sat next to her and put his arm around her to comfort her, having to remain stable himself.
"We were told he was trapped in the car," Gibbs said.
"No, I'm sorry," continued the doctor. "The other driver was the one stuck in the car. The fire department had to cut him out of his vehicle. Mr. DiNozzo was thrown through his windshield following the impact. Right now, he is not responding to painful stimuli below his abdomen…" The doctor paused. The three teammates had obviously glazed over with this new information that had been thrown at them.
"Listen, only time will tell with these injuries. Right now, I would suggest you all go home and get some rest. We will contact you as soon as he wakes up."
McGee spoke for the first time since the doctor had arrived. "But you think he will wake up?"
The doctor sighed. "We're hopeful. It's up to Mr. DiNozzo now."
