Tony looked down at Jimmy's still body. He really wished he wasn't alone with him that somebody else was there with them. That somebody else was putting pressure on the wound. Tony wanted to freak out he wanted to scream and lash out maybe even cry. Though most of all he wanted to track down the bastard that shot Jimmy and make them suffer. Oh the stuff the team would do to that person. They'd make Jimmy's injury look like a paper cut when they found whoever did this. They took it very personally when one of them was injured or worse killed. The bullet had hit just below Jimmy's ribcage. Tony wasn't sure how much blood Jimmy had lost it was too dark to really tell. He also had no idea when exactly Jimmy had been shot. Not being clear on those two facts made it hard for him to be able to tell if Jimmy would survive. God he didn't want to think about Jimmy dying.
"You aren't allowed to die Jimmy er Joey. Got that?" Tony said.
Tony wished that Jimmy would reply but he remained silent and limp, his eyes half open. He looked dead. In the back of his head Tony wondered if he was dead. He heard sirens in the distance. He prayed they would find them. Thankfully the ambulance swerved into the parking lot a few feet away from them.
"Is he alive?" Tony asked the medics as they worked on Jimmy.
"Yes but barely." One of them replied.
The medics loaded Jimmy into the ambulance and hooked him up to an oxygen tank.
"Can I ride with him?" Tony asked.
"Of course" The medic replied.
Tony jumped in the back and sat beside the stretcher. He grabbed hold of Jimmy's hand. The doors were closed and the ambulance sped off. Tony held his brothers hand. He had just learned Joey really was alive and now he was in danger of losing him again. Tony had barely survived the first time Joey "died". Tony closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.
"Do you know his blood type?" One of the medics asked.
"AB-same as mine." Tony replied.
Tony knew they were the same blood type because he remembered giving Joey blood when he was about fifteen and Joey was four when he got some kind of weird illness. The ambulance swerved into Bethesda. Jimmy would at least get his critical treatment there. However due to NCIS insurance policies he would be transferred to Georgetown once he stabilized. Jimmy was rushed inside and taken directly to surgery. Once they had taken him back Tony went out and called Gibbs back.
"Hey Boss Jimmy's been taken to Bethesda.
He is very critical but I am trying to be optimistic.
I'm gonna call Ducky but can you call the others?"
"Thanks"
Tony hung up with Gibbs and called Ducky. That was going to be hard Ducky was still recovering from his heart attack and Tony was worried about how he would take the news.
"Hey Ducky it's me Tony."
"Listen I have some difficult news."
"It's about Jimmy. He was shot tonight."
"I don't know I just found him in a parking lot."
"Right now he is critical but I am trying to be optimistic. He is in surgery."
"Goodbye"
After he got done talking to Ducky he called Breena. She would be difficult to inform as well. She always worried about Jimmy because of his job. That was the main reason she wanted him to work for her dad even more than the reduced hours. Looking back he did not handle that one well at all.
"Breena Jimmy's been shot."
"He's critical at Bethesda."
"I don't know I am trying to be optimistic but I don't know he looked so bad and he was unresponsive."
"Goodbye and I am so sorry."
Tony went back into the hospital and sat and waited for Jimmy to come out of surgery. Breena arrived and somberly sat beside Tony. Neither spoke. It was probably the longest night of their lives. Half an hour later the team began to arrive naturally Ziva was first, followed by Gibbs, then McGee, then Abby, after that Ducky arrived. The last person to arrive was the person Tony least expected to show-up director Vance.
"Leon what are you doing here?" Ducky asked.
"An NCIS employee is in the hospital. I have to be." Vance replied.
"Well it will mean a lot to Jimmy that you are here." Abby replied.
"He's been back there a long time and I still haven't heard anything." Tony commented.
"He'll be fine Tony don't worry about it T." Gibbs replied.
"Family of James Palmer." The doctor called.
Tony and Breena stood up and followed the doctor out.
"Why did Tony go with Breena when the doctor asked for Jimmy's family?' Abby asked.
Gibbs and Ducky looked at each other. They had wanted Tony and Jimmy to tell the team but due to the circumstances they realized that they had too.
"Jimmy is Joey DiNozzo Tony's brother." Gibbs explained.
"What?" Abby, McGee, and Ziva asked together.
"I will let them explain it to you." Gibbs replied.
"Hello I am Dr. Eric" The doctor greeted.
"I'm Breena Jimmy's husband." Breena replied.
"And I am his brother Tony." Tony added.
"Well there's good news and bad news." Dr. Eric replied.
"What's the good news?" Breena asked.
"Jimmy is out of surgery and we were able to remove the entire bullet and it missed everything vital." Dr. Eric replied.
"And the bad news?' Tony asked.
"He's somehow slipped into a coma." Dr. Eric replied.
"How is he DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"He came through OK. They got everything but he is in a coma."
"I'm sorry DiNozzo." Gibbs replied.
They sat and waited for an update on Jimmy.
"I would love to stay with Mr. Palmer but I must turn in." Ducky said.
"That's alright Duck I will call you if we hear anything." Gibbs replied.
"Actually Jethro we should probably go as well. We have to work in the morning." Vance replied.
The team nodded and stood to leave. Tony was about to exit when Vance stopped him.
"You can stay Agent DiNozzo." Vance replied.
"Work in the morning though." Tony replied.
"Actually until Jimmy is past the critical stage you are off." Vance replied.
"What about the team?" McGee asked.
"Agent Dorneget will work with you until Agent DiNozzo's return." Vance explained. "As for you doctor Mallard Jordan Hampton may come in and assist you if needed."
"This is Melinda Cooper with a story we have been following through-out the day. New developments in the bus crash of ninety-four. We are going to re-read the list of victims that we received this evening…"
Vance stopped dead in his tracks. "How did they get that list?" he demanded.
"You didn't give it to them?" Ziva asked.
"No I was going to wait until morning." Vance replied.
A/N: So how did ZNN get the list?
Senior is involved but didn't shoot Jimmy.
Jimmy is going to recover but not without scaring the hell out of Tony first.
Update Friday. Thanks for reading please review.
