Ziva's eyes slowly flickered open to see Jackson lying next to her, blood rushing from his chest. She tried to breathe in, but started coughing, her chest feeling weighed down. She looked around the room as best as she could, her eye catching sight of Gibbs standing a few feet away, gun at his side. Gibbs took notice to her slowly moving around and he was at her side in a second, helping her sit up.
"Ziva, are you okay?"
She slowly shook her head and he took his jacket off to put under her head. "Here, put your head on this." She put her head down and her eyes were immediately shut. "Ziva?" But there was no answer. He placed his hand near her heart and when he felt the steady beating, he let out a breath. He let her sleep as he began to look around the scene, not really sure what to expect to find.
He attempted to find a pulse on Jackson but there was nothing. He looked across the floor and saw Ziva's gun and broken shards of glass scattered around Ziva's body. When he heard hurried footsteps, he turned around and saw Tony and McGee rushing in through the back door.
"Boss, is she-"
Without thinking, Tony rushed to the floor next to Ziva, quickly taking her hand in his. "Tony, what are you doing?"
Tony looked up at him, silent, his eyes pleading, and Gibbs stepped away to stand next to McGee. "Is there something going on with them?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
They both stood and watched until they heard Duckie come through the front door. As he and Palmer knelt next to the dead body, Ziva began to stir.
"Tony?" Her voice was rough and her eyes were fluttering, still adjusting to the light.
"Hi," he said as she slowly sat up. "How are you feeling?"
She groaned. "Like I have been hit by a truck."
Tony smiled.
"What?"
"Nothing. Uhm, let's get you to the hospital so they can check you out." He helped her to her feet and let her lean on him as they walked out. He turned to Gibbs, who tossed him the keys to the car. "Thanks boss."
They silently made their way to the car and after Tony helped Ziva into the front seat, he drove to the hospital, never letting go of her hand.
Ziva was quiet the entire ride, and she stared out the window the entire drive. Tony rubbed his thumb on her left hand, moving slowly over the cuts he could feel. He pulled their joined hands up to his mouth and kissed hers before he slowed to stop at a red light.
"Tony?"
He turned in hopes of seeing her face, but she was still facing the window. "Yeah?"
She shifted in her seat and finally turned to look at him. The first thing he noticed was the black surrounding her right eye. And then, the cuts on her forehead, her cheeks, her neck. Her eyes were red and swollen. "Would you be able to stay with me tonight? I do not want to be alone."
"Of course."
She smiled a tired smile before turning back to the window. Tony smiled as he pressed the pedal down, truly amazed that even in the amount of pain she was in, and she still managed to talk perfectly, not contractions, no errors. The car ride fell silent again until Tony pulled the car into the parking lot of the hospital. Ziva began to help herself out of the car, but Tony rushed around, not willing to let her do it alone. "Tony, I am fine."
"Well, then humor me and let me help."
She groaned as she slowly lifted herself from the seat, her body almost latched onto Tony's. They walked through the double doors and stood in front of the desk where a small red head was sitting, a large smile on her face. "Can I help you?"
"NCIS special agents, we need to get an x-ray for Officer David," Tony said as he flashed his badge at the woman. She immediately picked up her phone and called for assistance, a male nurse arriving in seconds.
"Follow me."
He escorted them down the first floor hallway to an empty, small examination room. Ziva took a seat on the exam table, her legs dangling over the edge, while Tony sat in the lone chair across the room. Ziva kept her arm over her stomach, occasionally raising her hand to her head, running her fingers over the cuts. Then, she moved her hand to the back of the head and the painful look on her face caused Tony to wince.
The door swung open and a tall, male doctor walked in, a chart in his hand. "Officer David, haven't seen you in a while. Long night?"
She smiled and the doctor began his examination. "Well, it looks like you are going to need stitches in both cuts on your forehead. Is there anywhere else that should be checked out?"
Ziva lay back on the bed and lifted her shirt up, revealing a mass of black and blue covering her stomach. The doctor began to lightly press on them, clearly feeling for damage, and Tony had to turn away, the sight too much for him. He stared at a poster on the wall, "10 Ways to a Better Heart," when he heard the doctor say, "I can't feel any damage, but we should get an x-ray just to be sure."
She sat up and stepped down from the table, following the doctor to the door. But she turned around when she realized Tony wasn't following. She held her hand out towards him and he stood up, grabbing her hand as they followed the doctor down the hallway. When they reached the room, Tony stayed behind the glass window and watched as Ziva slowly climbed onto the table, the doctor arranging the camera over her stomach. He left the room and entered the room with the control panel. Tony watched Ziva as she lay there on the table, a completely different person than the woman he was used to seeing every day.
The doctor reentered the large, dark room and Ziva sat up, listening to what the doctor was telling her. Then, the doctor and Ziva walked back to where Tony was standing and the doctor said, "The x-ray came back clear. There's no damage, just deep bruising. She's going to be in pain for a while."
"Is there anything I can do to help with the pain?"
Ziva smiled and the doctor answered. "Just make sure she takes it easy for the next couple of weeks. As much as she'll hate it, she's going to be stuck on desk work with cases for a while. No extreme activities, just lots of rest and relaxation."
Tony winked at Ziva and said, "Don't worry doc, I won't let her out of my sight."