Definitely Maybe
Chapter 4:
"Wow. I thought I'd die before I ever-" Sasha said but she was cut off by Tony tackling her to the ground as another bullet grazed his shoulder.
"So then what happened?" Maya asked him frowning with concern. "Was Sasha okay? Were you okay?"
"Yeah we were wearing bullet proof vests but they didn't cover my shoulder and the impact of me tackling her or the bullet had bruised Sasha's ribs. So we both lay there staring at each other for a moment before we heard Gibbs spin around, pointing his gun in the direction of a roof opposite us, where the bullets came from, but no one was there...
"DiNozzo, Sasha, are you okay?" He asked them without turning around.
"Fine boss." Tony replied with a groan as he stood up. His head felt like the world was spinning and he was going to be sick, he stumbled trying to get his balance and luckily Sasha put an arm around him for support. He gave her a small smile in return.
"You don't look fine DiNozzo." Gibbs told him walking over to the pair and help Sasha share Tony's weight. The walk off the roof and down the stairs to the bottom was awkward with Tony wanting to check that Sasha was okay and hold her and never let her go but he figured Gibbs would probably kill them both if he knew their secret.
Once they were down the stairs Gibbs helped Tony lean against the wall while he radioed McGee to tell him to call an ambulance.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Tony asked her once Gibbs had gone.
She could only nod and he swore he could see tears in her eyes.
"Sasha seriously what's wrong?" He asked her leaning towards her.
"Tony if you hadn't seen that bullet I would be…" She trailed off.
"I know and you can thank me later." He said making her raise her eyebrows.
"Tony, stop it." She warned him. "Gibbs is right behind you. Not that it matters anymore."
"What do you mean, how?" He asked shocked.
"It was kind of obvious when you tackled me to the ground." She explained.
"I saved your life!" He reminded her.
"I know Tony I remember! But…"
"But what Sasha? Would you rather I let you die?"
"No Tony I'm thankful but just the look Gibbs gave me after like he knew." She replied.
He sighed she was probably right. Either way they were gonna have to tell him eventually. He wanted so badly to be able to tell people Sasha Alexander had finally tamed Tony DiNozzo, to be able to proudly walk into work holding her and taking her home afterwards.
"McGee says the paramedics are on their way." Gibbs said joining them.
They could only nod not knowing what to say. Gibbs ignored the silence and continued. "Sasha I want you to go with him and get yourself checked out just in case those ribs aren't just bruised. McGee and I will meet you there."
"Okay boss." She replied as the ambulance pulled up beside the building. Two paramedics got out and after getting a gurney out of the back of the ambulance rushed over to Tony and forced him down onto it.
"Guys I don't think that's really necessary." Tony complained.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs warned.
Tony sighed and lay down on the gurney muttering complaints under his breath. Sasha carefully climbed into the ambulance after him and watched as the paramedics made sure Tony was secure before one of them hoped into the front and the other one sat on the other side of Tony to check his vitals.
Gibbs stared at them knowingly as they closed the doors and started to drive off once he was out of sight Tony reached over and gently held Sasha's hand. She looked at him gratefully and squeezed his hand back.
They rode in silence to the hospital and then once they arrived the paramedics rolled Tony out of the ambulance where he was greeted by none other then Doctor Brad Pitt and Nurse Emma.
"Couldn't stay away could you Mr. DiNozzo?" Doctor Pitt asked him with a grin.
"Yeah I missed you, Emma and these uncomfortable beds too much." Tony replied weakly.
Doctor Pitt laughed as he and a team of other doctors and nurses wheeled Tony inside and Tony took one last glance at Sasha who was being told to sit in a wheelchair by Nurse Emma.
He was taken to the ward and a nurse placed an IV into his arm while doctors rushed around him checking his vitals and his chart. He noticed that many of them just asked Doctor Pitt his medical history and he explained it to him while he glanced worriedly at Tony.
"I need an X-Ray." Doctor Pitt ordered the nurse once she'd finished with the IV and then Tony was wheeled away again to radiology where they took an X-Ray of his shoulder.
As he was being taken back to his ward through the waiting room he noticed his teammates and Abby sitting waiting anxiously for him. When Abby saw him she ran up to him and threw her arms around him making him wince in pain.
"Tony we thought you'd died! Sasha said she saved Gibb's life by taking a bullet for him and then you saved her life by taking a bullet for her! That's so brave! You're a hero! Please don't die a hero!" She exclaimed in one breath.
He smiled at her weakly. "Don't worry Abs I survived the plague you really think one little bullet is gonna get me?"
She hugged him even tighter before the other ran over and pulled her away. "C'mon Abs the doctors have work to do." Gibbs told her.
Tony glanced at Sasha and saw her make up was stained from the fresh tears in her eyes. He wanted nothing more then to be able to pull her close and tell her everything will be okay but he just smiled weakly at her instead as he was wheeled back to the ward.
Doctor Pitt was staring at his X-Ray when Tony entered the room. "Right well your lucky the bullet isn't too deep so we can give you some morphine and extract the bullet now but because of your recent encounter with Bubonic Plague we'll have to keep you here a few extra days to monitor your vitals."
"Lucky me." Tony muttered as a nurse gave him the morphine and Doctor Pitt sat down next to his shoulder.
Is that what the scar on your shoulder is?" Maya asked him tracing over it with her fingers.
Tony nodded. "They managed to get the bullet out and stitch me up quickly and painlessly. Then I was left alone with my thoughts until I heard a knock at the door and I turned to see Gibbs standing in the doorway his expression unreadable.
"Hey Boss! Where are the others?" Tony asked him eager to see Sasha again.
"Its late I told McGee to take the others home and for them to all stay together in case that bastard tries to kill us again." Gibbs said as he walked over and sat on the chair next to the bed.
"Do you think he will?" Tony asked with concern.
Gibbs nodded solemnly.
Tony sighed and turned to look at the ceiling.
"How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked interrupting the silence.
"Like I've been shot." Tony replied sarcastically.
Gibbs glared at him and Tony braced himself for a head slap but it never came. He looked up at his boss confused.
"What?" Gibbs asked.
"Are you feeling okay boss? If I normally say something like that you'd head slap me." Tony explained.
"You're in hospital DiNozzo."
"That didn't stop you before."
"You've just been shot."
"I had the plague."
"Would it make you feel better if I did?"
"Well…"
Before Gibbs could reply a faint buzzing coming from his pocket interrupted him and he nodded to Tony before pulling his cell phone out and flipping it open as he left the room.
Tony lay there staring at the ceiling for about half an hour before he realised Gibbs wasn't coming back. Then he wondered if Sasha was okay and what could have happened if Tony hadn't seen the sniper rifle out of the corner of his eye.
"Are you hungry?" A voice asked interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see Nurse Emma enter the room with a tray of food.
"Depends what you're offering. I could really go for a large pizza right about now." He replied.
She giggled as she set the tray down in front of him. "I'm sorry but that's not on the menu."
He sat up and lifted the lid off the tray but grimaced when he smelt the slightly stale scent of hospital food. "Why don't they make this stuff more appetising? Prisoners get better food then this."
"If we did people might come here for the food and we can't have that now can we?" She replied.
"You might have a point." He said as he picked up the spoon and shoved some green slop that could resemble mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"So Sasha was okay?" He asked Nurse Emma between mouthfuls.
She nodded. "Her ribs were bruised from where the bullet hit the vest but other then that she was fine."
He let out a soft sigh in relief.
"You really care about her don't you?" Nurse Emma asked making him choke on the slop in his mouth.
"What gives you that idea?"
"You took a bullet for her."
"I would have done that for anyone." He said defending himself.
"I can see the way you look at each other." She replied.
"What way is that?"
"You care a lot about each other way."
Tony grinned and Nurse Emma rolled her eyes before looking at the clock on the wall. "Oh look at the time I better get going but just buzz if you need anything."
Once she was gone Tony pushed his tray of food away and lay back down, his thoughts drifting back to Sasha before sleep came for him and she filled his dreams.
The first thing he noticed when he woke up the next day was that last night's half empty food tray had been replaced with a new breakfast tray. He slowly and carefully sat up noticing the morphine from last night had worn off, pulled the tray towards him and opened it to reveal some form of brown slop that was probably cereal. He held his breath as he took his first mouthful. But then he realised it wasn't that bad so he managed to eat most of it but a blur of black suddenly ran through the door and threw her arms around her neck.
"Hey Abby." He greeted her but then noticed that McGee was with her standing hesitantly at the door as if he needed an invitation. "Probie what are you doing here?"
"Uh...well…" McGee stuttered.
"He's on protection detail." Abby explained.
"What? Why?" Tony asked in alarm. "Are you okay? Is Sasha okay? Where is she?"
"Calm down Tony. Sasha fine she's gone to relax with her parents for a while and I'm fine too. Ari tried to shoot me when I was going through some evidence that's all." Abby told him.
"Wow he sure is persistent with the whole wanting to kill us thing." Tony exclaimed. What else is going on while I've been stuck here?"
"Well," Abby paused while she sat down in the chair next to him. "Director Morrow was offered a deputy director's position at Homeland Security and his replacement is Director Jennifer Sheppard. She seems nice but I think Gibbs and her have a past."
"What do you mean?"
"They seem to know each other from somewhere and they have all that built up sexual tension like you and Sasha do."
"Sexual tension? We are talking about the same Sasha, right?" Tony lied.
"What's sexual tension?" Maya asked innocently.
"Umm… it's when we have to pretend to go out." Tony stuttered.
"Whatever…anyway then what happened?" Maya said clearly not believing him but prompting him to continue the story.
She raised her eyebrows and without even looking at McGee she suggested he go and get a cup of coffee.
"But Gibbs ordered me to stay with you for your protection." McGee argued.
"I'm safe here with Tony and like anyone's dumb enough to come after me now Gibbs knows." She replied.
He sighed and walked out the door. "So what's really going on?" Abby asked him once they were alone.
He stared at her for a moment completely taken aback. "What…what do you mean?"
"C'mon Tony I know they're something going on. First she's compromises her health to stay with you when you had the plague and then you save her life." Abby replied rolling her eyes.
"I would've done that for anybody." Tony snapped at her tired of having to explain himself. "Sasha dived in front of Gibbs does that mean they have sexual tension too?"
"Eww no Gibbs is way too old for her and besides he prefers redheads and Director Sheppard is a redhead. But back to the point Sasha is my best friend and you're my friend too I just want you guys to be happy screw Gibb's rule 12."
Tony sighed he knew deep down Abby knew and even if she didn't he couldn't risk it getting back to Gibbs. A soft hesitant knock at the door saved him from answering her. They turned to see McGee standing in the doorway holding two cups of coffee and a Caf-Pow. "I...I swear I didn't hear anything and I only just got here." He stuttered trying to explain himself.
"It's okay Probie you brought back coffee so we'll forgive you this time." Tony joked. "Come and tell me what else has been going on at work."
"Well as Abby was saying we have a new director and while you and Sasha are away a liaison for Mossad is working with us on the case, well more like trying to prove Ari didn't do it." McGee said walking over and handing Tony a coffee and Abby her Caf-Pow.
"Her name's Ziva David and I don't trust her." Abby added.
"Why not?" Tony asked her.
"She sits at Sasha's desk." Abby replied.
"That's not a good enough reason to dislike someone Abs." Tony reminded her.
"I know I just want the old team back the way it was." She sighed.
"It will be Abs as soon as Sasha's back and I'm allowed out of here." He promised her. "How's the case going anyway?"
Both McGee and Abby glanced at each other as if they were deciding what to say. Finally Abby turned back to him. "Well we found Ari's sniper nest on the roof of the abandoned office building to the east of where you, Sasha and Gibb's were. He didn't police his brass and the casings matched Lapua .308s. But we didn't find any bullets but we're still looking. Gibbs is being surprisingly nice and he even called Timmy here, 'Tim'. And later today I plan to go through the car and see if I can match any of the bullets to the 308s." She finished with a sigh.
"I hope I'm back in time to witness Gibbs kill the bastard that caused all this." Tony exclaimed.
"Yeah only if he's allowed." Abby said.
"Why wouldn't he?"
"FBI still insisting Ari needs to be alive." McGee explained.
Tony sighed "when will they get it through their thick skulls that Ari Haswari is the one who is trying to kill us?"
"I dunno Tony, but why don't you contemplate that and that other thing we talked about while Tim and I go back to work and help Gibbs solve the case?" Abby suggested before giving him one last hug and walking out the door with McGee close behind her.