Gibbs continues on the road to Gloucester Point, driving at a steady pace and eventually he reaches the outskirts. Unbeknownst to Gibbs, Abby is following in her hearse about half an hour behind on the road. She has her laptop on the passenger seat and it is tracking Gibbs. She decides that it's time to arrange for back up for Gibbs. She calls McGee.
"Hey, Abby. Where are you? I was downstairs looking for you," McGee wonders.
"Don't be mad, McGee, but I'm following Gibbs," she admits sheepishly.
"Why are you following Gibbs? And where is Gibbs?" McGee asks, realising that he hasn't seen Gibbs for a while now.
"Those bad guys called and he was planning to meet them alone…." Abby begins to explain.
"Tell me you're kidding, Abs," McGee interrupts.
"I swear, McGee. He's on his way to Gloucester Point. He has to meet them at a dockyard or somewhere like that. He doesn't know I'm following him. You need to arrange some backup but they need to be invisible, Tim. If they spot anything, they'll kill Ziva," Abby explains.
"Leave it with me Abby. You stay out of trouble, do you hear me?" McGee orders.
"Don't worry. I'll just keep the trace on him," she promises.
McGee hangs up and immediately calls the Director. She is livid when he tells her what's happening. She makes some calls to arrange for back up and hopes that it's not too late getting there.
Oblivious to what's going on back at headquarters, Gibbs drives slowly up an overgrown roadway to an obviously long disused boatyard. He meets a chainlink fence and is forced to stop.
"Abs, can you hear me?" he asks.
"I got you, Gibbs," she replies.
"I'm here. Guess you'd better make that call," he says, taking a deep breath.
"Already did," she replies.
"Good girl," he says acknowledging her foresight.
"Gibbs, please be careful," she pleads, praying that he's not walking into a trap.
"I will, Abs. Gotta go," he says as he gets out of the car and checks the gate. It's padlocked. He surveys his surroundings. To his right is a dock strewn with broken crates and rotten lumber. In front of him is a short roadway leading up to a number of derelict buildings. Further to the left he sees the rusty blue door of the building where he has been instructed to go.
He takes the package out of the car and puts it in his inside jacket pocket. He removes his weapon and leaves it in the car. He scales the fence without difficulty. Once on the other side he cautiously walks to the building with the blue door. There's no sign of activity, no vehicle visible. He pauses at the door and looks around before entering.
The inside if the building is dimly lit, the only light coming from some long narrow windows close to roof level. It takes a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He continues deeper into the bowels of the building, unsure of exactly where to go from there. Out of nowhere a voice booms,
"You can stop right there."
Gibbs raises his arms over his head as a precaution. "I'm unarmed," he shouts, just to be on the safe side.
"Did you bring what I asked?" the voice demands.
"I have it here. I want to see Ziva," Gibbs replies defiantly.
"Of course, I am a man of my word. We have a deal," he says, finally stepping from between a stack of crates and showing himself. Even in the poor light, Gibbs recognises him as Zamir. "Straight through there," he orders.
Gibbs lowers his arms and walks into another section of the building. It appears to be what was once the main factory floor. He notes the openness and lack of cover. He is guided towards what he presumes was once the administration end of the building. A number of offices are lined up beside one another. Small windows look out onto the factory floor. Through one he can just make out Ziva.
"I will take the package now, Agent Gibbs," he says, extending his hand. "For your sake, I hope you too are a man of honour and that this contains what I asked for."
Gibbs hands over the package without comment and is ushered by one of Zamir's henchmen into the office where Ziva is being guarded. His eyes meet Ziva's.
"Are you okay?" he asks her kindly, as the armed guard checks Gibbs for weapons.
"Yes, I am fine," she replies immediately, still unsure of what was going on.
Zamir disappears into the adjoining office and hands the disc to another man who inserts it immediately into a laptop. Gibbs realises that they don't have much time, before they realise that the information on the disc is bogus. He knows he must act fast if he is to get Ziva and himself out of there. He attempts to signal to Ziva to get ready and hopes that she understands his intentions.
Without hesitation, he rushes the guard, grabbing hold of his automatic rifle, trying to prevent him from getting a shot off. Ziva springs into action and before Gibbs realises what is happening she is behind the guard. With one fluid motion, she grabs his chin and forehead and wrenches his head violently to one side. Gibbs hears his neck snap before his body goes limp. For a fraction of a second he hesitates and looks at her and marvels at how adept she was at silencing the guard. Then he remembers that they don't have time to hang around.
"Come on," he says, grabbing Ziva by the wrist and dragging her from the office. They race through the open factory floor as fast as they can. They are spotted by one of Zamir's men who alerts his boss. Zamir runs from the office and watches them making their escape. Another guard aims his weapon and is about to fire when Zamir stops him.
"But they are getting away," he says objecting to being stopped.
"No, they're not," Zamir replies, smiling as he produces a small detonator from his pocket.
He watches as Ziva and Gibbs enter the crate storage area. Zamir chuckles at his own ingenuity and foresight. He flicks the switch and cannot help but flinch when the store room erupts in flames, scattering debris into the factory floor area.
"That should stop them," he comments with satisfaction.
--
Gibbs realises they're been spotted as they are entering the store room. He pushes Ziva through the door ahead of him and hurries her. They are almost at the exit when an unmerciful blast hurls them into the air. They both land in a heap on the ground as shards of splintered wood and other debris rain down on top of them. Gibbs uses his body to protect Ziva. His head is fuzzy and his ears are ringing but he is still aware of his mission. He is in survival mode and despite his whole body being wracked in pain he gets to his feet and hauls Ziva to hers.
"Can you walk?" he asks as he drags her towards the door.
"Yes, I think so," she replies, shakily getting to her feet. With adrenaline coursing through their veins, they both make it through the metal door and out into the fading light of evening.
Staying close to the line of buildings, they run towards the car and the fence that stands in their way. As they reach the fence, Gibbs orders Ziva to go first. He cups his hands and gives her a boost that enables her to haul herself over. She lands on her two feet in a crouched position on the other side. As she prepares to run to the car, she realises that Gibbs isn't behind her. He is down on one knee, clinging to the wire fence, struggling to get to his feet.
"Come on, Gibbs. Climb!" she shouts, looking back towards the smoking building.
Gibbs looks at her, his vision is becoming blurred. He is feeling light headed and his knees are like jelly. He starts to realise that something's wrong. It becomes more apparent as the adrenaline begins to dissipate and a piercing pain shoots through his lower back. He squeezes his eyes tight shut to try and block out the pain.
"Gibbs, are you hurt?" Ziva yells from the other side, seeing his struggle.
"Get outta here," Gibbs orders, waving her away. "Follow the track onto the road. Keep driving until you get to Gloucester Point."
While he's talking he's looking behind Ziva and sees an approaching vehicle. He's not sure if he's imagining it or if he is actually seeing a black hearse careening towards them. Then it dawns on him….Abby!
"Ziva, you should probably get out of the way," he shouts, pointing towards the oncoming car. Ziva jumps out of the way as the hearse smashes through the gate. It skids to a halt and a hyped up Abby leaps from the driver's door.
"Oh, my God! Gibbs, are you okay?" she asks, running over him.
"Am I glad to see you?" he replies just as Ziva grabs him under one shoulder and hauls him to his feet. Abby takes his other arm and puts it around her neck and supports him. As she puts her arms around his back, she feels the stickiness of his blood.
With steam hissing from Abby's car, Ziva directs them to Gibb's sedan. As they open the rear door they hear automatic gunfire. Three men are running from the blue door, firing as they run. Abby shoves Gibbs into the back seat and jumps in after him. Ziva is already around at the driver seat and has the engine started. Just when everyone is in, Ziva floors it and they speed away from the danger. Abby and Gibbs are showered with broken glass as the rear window shatters above them.
As she is crouched with her face close to Gibbs' back she can see where the blood is coming from. There is a large piece of wooden shrapnel embedded in his lower back and several other bleeding cuts and minor burns. She feels sick as she contemplates how deeply the piece of wood is embedded. She tries to hide her concern from Gibbs. She is grateful that the wound isn't actually bleeding that much and that most of the blood on his shirt is coming from the other less serious injuries.
As Ziva puts distance between them and the kidnappers, Abby straightens up into a seated position. Gibbs is slow to try and sit up. He is now painfully aware that he hasn't escaped unscathed from this one. He is feeling faint and is struggling to stay conscious. Abby notices his head lolling and pulls closer to him so that she can hold his head on her shoulder.
"Ziva, you need to find the nearest hospital," Abby orders. "Gibbs is hurt."
"How bad?" Ziva asks, looking in the rear view mirror, trying to see for herself.
"There's a big chunk of wood sticking out of his back. That can't be good," she replies testily.
"How am I going to find a hospital? I don't even know where we are," Ziva shouts back.
"Follow the road. Take a right at the T-junction. The town is around 6 miles. Check the GPS for our location and radio for assistance. Get details of a hospital from them," Abby advises quite calmly.
Ziva does as Abby says and calls for information. As she's receiving advice, Abby continues to talk to Gibbs, trying to keep him conscious. She strokes his hair, telling him how mad Jen is going to be, reassuring him that he was going to be okay. After a couple of minutes, Abby realises that he isn't responding and that he's lost consciousness. Nervously, she checks for a pulse and breathes a loud sigh of relief when she finds one.
"How is he?" Ziva enquires as she speeds up on the main road.
"Not good. He's unconscious," Abby replies.
"According to dispatch, the hospital is this side of the town so we should only be minutes away," Ziva explains.
Abby nods, hoping that they get there in time. Ziva is driving even more erratically than usual, speeding towards Gloucester Point. Abby continues to support the Gibbs' limp body against her own.
"Please hang in there, Gibbs," she whispers in his ear, her fear growing by the minute. She keeps talking to him, rambling on in her own inimitable fashion about how they both might be looking for new careers after the director is finished with them. She even offers some career alternatives for Gibbs – shooting instructor, sales rep for Kenco coffee, bodyguard, carpenter. Ziva smiles to herself as she listens to Abby's one way conversation.
"We're nearly there, Abby. How is he?" she asks, interrupting the barrage of career advice.
"His pulse is weak but he's hanging in there, aren't you Gibbs?" she replies, turning back to Gibbs.
Minutes later, Ziva brings the car to a screeching halt outside the Emergency Room door of Mercy Hospital. She jumps out of the car, leaving the door wide open and races into the E.R.
"I need some help out here," she announces urgently. "Hurry!"
Nurses at the reception desk look oddly at her. This is normally a quiet, sleepy regional hospital where they don't get much excitement. A doctor approaches her curiously.
"Are you injured?" he asks, seeing her dishevelled appearance.
"Not me. My Boss. Hurry, bring a gurney," she orders, showing him out to the car. "He's unconscious."
"What happened?" the doctor asks, seeing the bloodied shirt.
"We're NCIS agents. He was caught in an explosion and has been hit in the back," Ziva explains as she opens the rear door. The doctor leans in to assess Gibbs' condition. Other staff emerge from the hospital and with their assistance, they manoeuvre Gibbs onto the gurney and into the Trauma Room. Ziva and Abby are asked to wait outside the Trauma Room and despite their protestations they remain in the waiting area.
NCIS HQ
The phone in Director Shepards office rings. It's from the control room. They inform her that Agent David has been freed and has requested back up to The Tanyard Dock. They also tell Jen of the request for information about the nearest hospital. Jen's heart sinks when she hears this, knowing that someone's been hurt. Control gives her the contact details for Mercy Hospital in Gloucester Point and she calls immediately. She asks if an Agent Ziva David has been admitted recently. They inform her that they have no record of her.
"Try Gibbs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs," Jen asks tentatively.
"Gibbs? Yes, he's in the Trauma Room at the moment," the receptionist explains.
"What's his condition?" Jen asks, sick with worry.
"I'm sorry M'am. I don't have any further information at the moment. I can ask the doctor to call you when he's free," she offers.
"Fine, okay. Thank you," Jen says hanging up without leaving her number. Knowing that Gibbs is hurt and not knowing how bad makes her feel physically nauseous. She had no intention of waiting for a phone call. She calls out to Cynthia to arrange for a chopper to get her there as soon as possible. She then realises that she should tell the rest of the team what has happened. She goes down to the bullpen and asks McGee to call Ducky and Abby up. Ducky comes up straight away. McGee calls Abby's cell. When she answers, he whispers "What happened Abby? The Director is looking for you?"
"Oh, McGee! Gibbs is hurt. There was an explosion," Abby explains.
"What? Are you hurt?" McGee asks loudly, causing all present to look over at him.
"No, I'm fine, Ziva's fine. Gibbs isn't so good," she begins ranting. "It was awful. There was blood and it was sticking out of his back, and I kept talking to him but he wouldn't wake up and we got to a hospital and they won't let me stay with him and I don't know if he's going to be okay…" she continues emptionally.
McGee looks up at the Director and explains what's happened as Abby continues rambling on the other end of the phone.
"It's Abby. She says Ziva's with her and that there was an explosion and that Gibbs was injured," he begins. He doesn't get a chance to say anymore because Jen snaps the phone from his hands.
"Abby! It's Director Shepard. What the hell is going on?" she yells.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't let him do it alone so I followed him," she explains, stifling her tears.
"You were supposed to call me!" Jen reminds her.
"I know, but Gibbs made me promise to give him a head start," Abby says apologetically.
"Is Jethro alright?" she asks, trying to keep her concern at a professional level.
"They haven't told us anything yet. There's this piece of wood in his back, it was gross. He was unconscious by the time we got to the hospital," Abby explains.
"Okay, Abby. It'll be alright. I've arranged a ride so I should be there in the next hour or two. Keep me posted," Jen says before ending the call. She hands the phone to Tim and turns to explain what has happened to DiNozzo and Ducky.
"What do you know of his injuries?" Ducky asks out concern for his friend.
"Not a whole lot. Abby sounds worried though. I've arranged a helicopter to take me to the hospital. You're welcome to come along," Jen offers.
Within 20 minutes they are in the air and on their way to Gloucester Point, Virginia.
Hopefully the next updates will finish up this story. Still writing it so if you've any suggestions I'd love to hear them.
