-1And somehow I still avoid the writer's block! It's a miracle. I'm on a role. Yet another question for my reviewers… is Tony's girlfriend any particular type of doctor, or have they never told us that? I don't think I've ever heard them say what type of doctor she is, but I might have just missed it, as I don't hugely care about her. Lol. If anyone knows, though, fill me in, 'cause I don't want to go against something they've told us in the series. And even if you don't know, please review! I like reviews. Thanks!

Chapter Five

Clouds were interesting. Ziva had never really paid attention to them before, and now she was kind of wondering why not. They were pretty, for one thing, all white and fluffy, like wisps of cotton. And it looked very interesting, really, the way the smoke was mixing with them, white and black swirling together in intricate patterns. She didn't try to find shapes; she just watched the patterns already there, giving her mind a break from its racing thoughts.

Her legs hardly hurt anymore, merely a dull ache, replaced by the pain in her chest, worse with each breath. She knew that should worry her, but for some reason it didn't. It should also worry her, really, when she glanced at the flickering flames rising from the house… it should be rather warm, if not uncomfortably hot, but she felt cold. But she was hot, too, at the same time. She didn't know which she'd prefer - cold or hot - so maybe it was good that she felt both. She glanced over at Tony, wondering vaguely if he was at all cold, too. He'd taken his jacket off and folded it behind her head as a sort of pillow, which was admittedly more comfortable than just the rock, but she hoped he wasn't cold now without it. Maybe the fire would keep him warm.

Tony was talking. She tried to focus on his words, but she could only make out a few. He'd been talking almost non-stop the past half-hour or so, telling her about episodes of his favourite TV show. She didn't really understand it, and it was so hard to get her mind to focus in on what he was saying enough to figure it out. He wasn't really talking to her, anyways, as much as he was talking at her, so he shouldn't be too angry that she wasn't really managing to pay attention.

She was tired. Tony had told her not to sleep. Why not? She couldn't remember, but she thought it was important somehow. Breathing was hard. She couldn't think straight. Even trying was exhausting, it all took too much effort. Maybe things would clear up a bit if she got some rest. Yes, that was it, she just needed to rest. Just for a minute…

There were fingers tapping firmly on her cheek and a voice speaking loudly into her ear, tugging her back to awareness, back to the pain. "Ziva! Ziva, open your eyes!" She moaned in protest, but the voice was insistent. "Come on, Ziva, you've gotta wake up!" The hand moved to her forehead, fingers gently lifted one eyelid, she could make out a fuzzy figure hovering over her. She moaned again and tried to twist her head away, but it took too much energy to move.

"Go away… let me sleep…" she mumbled pleadingly. She was so tired.

"No, Ziva, you can't sleep. You have to stay awake. Come on, stay with me." The hand was stroking her hair now, and she felt fingers wrap lightly around hers, warm against her skin. She pried her eyes open, blinked a few times, and fourced her eyes to focus on the blurry form above her.

"Tony…"

He smiled slightly and gave her hand a light squeeze. "I'm here. It's okay."

She drew in a shallow, uneven breath, trying to calm herself down as realization flooded her. She knew where she was, why everything hurt, and why it was so important that she stay awake. And, with a jolt, she realized how close she'd come to giving up, and it scared her. She regained her feeble grasp on consciousness with new resolve.

She saw the look in Tony's eyes and realized she'd scared him, too. His concern was touching, and she shot him a weak smile, which he returned. "Don't do that again."

"Sorry," she said, hating how weak and breathless her voice sounded. "Just… g-got really tired." She was still really tired, but her brain was less foggy then before, thankfully. She just had to stay focused on something, anything, to keep herself from drifting off again. "W-what were you t-talking about?"

He chuckled. "Not too interesting, hm?"

"H-hard to concentrate," she admitted wearily. His had still rested on top of her head, the touch oddly comforting. "My m-mind's kind of w-wandering."

Tony nodded, looking worried. "It's okay. I was running out of things to tell you about, anyways."

She laughed slightly. "Y-you? R-run out of th-things to s-say? I m-must be dr-dreaming…" She trailed off, coughing a bit. Talking was getting more difficult, taking more effort.

His smile seemed a bit unsteady, and he brought his finger to her lips. "Shh. I'm sure I'll think of something else to ramble about. So let me do the talking."

She nodded faintly, but couldn't resist one last question. "H-how long have w-we been w-waiting?"

"Only about half an hour. I'm sure someone's seen the smoke by now. Bet the fire department's already on their way." But he didn't sound as certain as he had before. "They'll probably be here any minute now."

She nodded, trying to look like she believed him. It was an odd feeling, really, to have that thought in the her mind - her life was on a timer, which from the feel of it was rapidly ticking down. As Tony picked a topic and started talking again, she fourced herself to concentrate on what he was saying - it was a bit easier, now, as he was talking about movies and making sure to include her, asking yes-or-no questions that she could answer with little more than a nod or shake of her head - but that thought seemed to keep hovering in the back of her mind, and she couldn't get rid of it. And, though she hated to admit it, she was scared - very scared.