In a waiting area at Mansfield County Hospital, Kelly is waiting anxiously for news of Gibbs. He had been moved up to surgery over two hours ago and she still hasn't heard anything. She really hopes everything is alright. It has only just occurred to her that she hadn't even contacted the Stenson's to tell them about the accident. She finds a pay phone and makes a short call. They were terribly concerned for their daughter and wanted to drive straight up to Mansfield that night. Kelly somehow managed to convince them that she was okay and that it would be safer if they waited until morning. She returns to the waiting area and eventually dozes off on a sofa. She is exhausted.

The arrival of a number of other people into the waiting area at around 2.30am disturbs her and she sits up sleepily. She recognises one of them as the agent from NCIS headquarters whom she had met briefly a few days ago. It's Tony. He smiles flirtatiously as he recognises her also and switches on the old DiNozzo charm.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," he says, introducing himself to her immediately.

"Hi, Kelly Stenson," she replies, shaking his hand.

"Gibbs' daughter, right?" he nods, as if he had known all along.

"Yeah," she answers, a little embarrassed.

"This is NCIS Director Shepard and Agent Ziva David," he says, indicating towards the red haired woman standing behind him and the younger dark haired agent. They shake hands also.

"Hi, so how is Jethro doing?" the Director asks the retiring young woman.

"He's in surgery," she tells them. She notices the concern on the older woman's face at this news. "They tell me it's not too serious. His shoulder's broken and they need to operate on it. They'll also close up his leg wound. The doctor told me that he has some swelling on the brain but they're not overly concerned because there's no skull fracture or something like that," she says trying to explain what the doctor's had told her earlier in the evening.

"He'll be fine," Jen says, trying to reassure Kelly.

"Can you remember anything about the accident?" Tony asks, switching to agent mode.

"What accident? It wasn't an accident," she corrects him immediately. "Some lunatic ran us off the road."

"Did you get a look at the vehicle?" Ziva asks in her usual curt manner.

"It was dark. All I saw were the headlights," she tells her.

"You must have seen something! Was it a sedan, an SUV, the colour, make?" Ziva asks impatiently.

"I don't know," Kelly replies in frustration. "It could've been a pick up or and SUV I guess. It was higher up than we were. It was a light colour, white or silver maybe. I'm sorry, I can't remember. It all happened so fast," she says, beginning to cry.

"It's okay," Jen says, sitting beside her and putting a comforting arm around her. "Agent David, I think we can do this later," Jen says, rebuking Ziva's approach.

With that, the doors of the relatives room opens and in walks a very serious looking surgeon sporting light blue scrubs. Kelly jumps to her feet immediately.

"How is he?" she asks eagerly.

"He's stable and doing fine," the Doctor reassures her.

"Thank God," she says with relief, letting go of the breath she was holding.

"We've stabilised the shoulder. It will be painful but should heal over time. The vascular surgeons did a good job on his leg. He had lost a lot of blood from that injury. If you hadn't applied that tourniquet, he may not have made it as far as the hospital. You probably saved his life," he tells her.

"And the head injury?" Kelly asks, ignoring the praise he was heaping on her.

"With the exception of a cracking headache when he wakes, he should suffer no ill effects. We'll keep a close eye on him for the next few days just to be on the safe side," he explains.

"Can I see him?" Kelly asks.

"He's in recovery at the moment. I'll send someone to get you when he's settled into his room," the doctors replies and then turns to leave the room.

"You see. I told you he was as tough as old shoes," Ziva says, punching Tony in the arm.

"Boots," he corrects her, pulling out of reach and rubbing his arm. "He's as tough as old boots."

"Whatever. I told you he would be fine," Ziva reminds him.

"I never doubted it for a minute," Tony replies.

Jen and Kelly smile at each other amused by the pair's antics.

"Why don't you contact the sheriff and see if he has any leads regarding the accident," the Director suggests to the two agents.

"On it, Jen… I mean Director," Tony barks, nudging Ziva out the door.

Not long after the two agents leave the waiting room, a young nurse asks Jen and Kelly to follow her and she shows them to Room 211 where Gibbs has been placed. Kelly notices Jen's sharp intake of breath as she is shocked by the initial sight of Gibbs in the bed. He is unconscious, in a semi-sitting position as the back of the hospital bed is raised. One side of his face is a myriad of cuts, bruises and sutures. The sight catches her off guard.

"It looks worse than it is," the nurse tells her, seeing the shock on her face. "He should be out for another couple of hours at least, but you can sit with him if you want."

"Thanks," Kelly says, pulling a chair close to the side of the bed. She takes hold of Gibbs' uninjured hand and squeezes gently, hoping he'll realise that she's there. Jen watches the touching scene from a distance, herself longing to be the one holding his hand. He looks peaceful though, she thinks. At least he doesn't look like he's in any pain.

"I couldn't bear it if I lost you again," Kelly says softly to Gibbs.

"He's going to be fine," Jen says reassuringly. "He's come out of worse scrapes than this."

The two women sit with Gibbs for the rest of the night. By early morning both women are exhausted. Kelly is sleeping in the chair, her head resting on Gibbs bedside. Jen stands up to stretch her legs and it's then that she notices those familiar blue eyes scanning the room. He sees her and smiles weakly.

"Hey, Jen," he whispers.

"Jethro, welcome back," she says softly, not wanting to wake Kelly.

Jethro raises his hand and gently strokes the sleeping girl's hair.

"She's been so worried about you, we all have," Jen informs him. "She hasn't left you side since you were brought in."

Gibbs looks at his daughter and lets his hand rest on the back of her head.

"How do you feel?" Jen asks.

"Sore. Tired," he answers, as Kelly begins to stir. She sits up and is delighted to see Gibbs is awake.

"Dad, you're awake!" she exclaims, taking his hand and holding on tightly. Gibbs heart leaps at being called Dad for the first time in over 16 years. He had never expected to be called that ever again. He gives her hand a squeeze of approval.

"How do you feel?" she asks anxiously.

"A little tired, but okay," he tells her.

"The doctor says you'll be fine. Your shoulder will heal and you'll have to stay off that leg for a while, but you're gonna be fine," she tells him.

"Thanks to you," Gibbs reminds her. Kelly blushes. "You did really good out there, kid," he says proudly. She leans over and hugs him.

"You should probably try and get some rest, Kelly. The agency has reserved a few rooms at the hotel in the centre of town. Why don't you go and get something to eat and some sleep. I'll stay here with Jethro," Jen advises.

"I'm fine, really," Kelly replies, reluctant to leave her father's side.

"She's right, Kel. To be honest, you look worse than I feel," Gibbs tells her, looking at her bloodstained clothes and scruffy hair.

"Oh, great! Thanks!" she says, feigning offence.

"I'll still be here when you get back," Gibbs promises. Eventually, Kelly relents and decides to go to the hotel. Jen and Gibbs are left together in the room. She takes the opportunity to question Gibbs about what had happened.

"Can you remember anything about last night?" she asks.

"It's all a bit hazy," he admits. "I remember leaving the diner and the drive. The weather was bad. We went off the road, didn't we?" he asks her.

"Yes, Jethro. Do you remember being struck by another vehicle?" Jen wonders.

"Not really," Gibbs replies somewhat frustrated. "My head hurts, it's just….." he begins, getting agitated.

"Relax, Jethro. It's okay. It'll come back," Jen tells him, taking up position in the chair vacated by Kelly. She pats his hand. "You should rest."

Gibbs doesn't argue. The jack hammers in his head are pounding and he knows the only relief he'll get is if he closes his eyes. Sleep follows quickly.

When he wakes, Jen is talking to DiNozzo over by the window. He watches them, unnoticed for a while, until Jen senses that he's watching them.

"Sorry, Jen, I must have nodded off," he says apologetically.

"Yes you did, over 4 hours ago, Jethro," she informs him.

"Heh hey, Boss," Tony hollers over. "You look like sh….I mean good, Boss," he says, tripping up over his own tongue.

"What are you doing here, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asks in his usual curt fashion.

"Had to be sure you were okay, Boss," comes the reply.

"So, you've solved the Willis case then?" Gibbs asks, already knowing the answer.

"Well, you see, it's just… , not yet, Boss," Tony finally admits, realising there's no point even trying to make excuses.

Gibbs raises his eyebrows in a 'don't make me repeat myself' type expression. Tony decides to explain his reasons for being there.

"We know that your accident wasn't an accident, Boss. So I just presumed that you'd want your best man up here to investigate," Tony explains.

Gibbs cannot help but smile. Tony certainly was one of a kind. No matter what anyone thought, he was one hell of an agent, oozing with confidence and charm. In fact, Gibbs had no doubt that Tony could charm his way out of practically any predicament.

"He's right, Jethro," Jen agrees as she approaches the bed. Gibbs is shifting awkwardly in an effort to sit more upright. Jen places another pillow behind his back to help him get more comfortable.

"Someone doesn't want you digging any deeper into the past," she tells him. "So much so, that they tried to kill you and when someone tries to harm one of my agents, Jethro, I'll damn well assign a team or several teams if necessary," she pontificates.

Gibbs knew she was right, and knowing Jen, he knew it best not to argue.

"Can you remember anything that might help?" she asks officiously. "Has anything come back to you?"

Gibbs leaned his head back on the pillows and looks up toward the ceiling, willing himself to remember. He fills Jen and Tony in on what he could remember of the day of the accident, the people he spoke to and what he had found out. He suggested that DiNozzo start with the people he and Kelly spoke to. He also tells them that McGee was trying to trace another doctor, whose name he couldn't recall.

"I think I should speak to Kelly," Tony suggests.

"Yeah, hopefully she'll be of more help," Gibbs agrees, knowing his recollection of events was still sketchy.

"I'm trying to arrange for the wreckage to be sent to our lab so Abby can examine it," Jen tells Gibbs.

"Ooh, she won't be impressed. The car went up in smoke, you know," Gibbs informs her. "She won't have much to work with."

"I know, but if anyone can find evidence, Abby can," Jen says confidently.

As they talk, a pretty nurse enters the room to check on Gibbs. She greets him with a friendly smile and asks if he's in any discomfort. He tells her that he feels fine. While the young lady is fixing Gibbs pillows and checking his obs, Tony is not very subtly checking out her vital statistics and grinning like a Cheshire cat. His head leans to one side as he follows her with his eyes as she leaves the room.

"Would you ….." Gibbs begins to say.

"Oh, I would, Boss," Tony interrupts. "I sure would," he says, still leering after the nurse.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs roars. Tony snaps out of his stupor immediately.

"Sorry, Boss," he answers.

"I was going to say, would you mind asking Kelly to come by later, when you're talking to her," Gibbs asks with a resigned sigh.

"Of course you were, Boss. And I will. No problem, Boss. Probably should go," DiNozzo says, theatrically escaping from the embarrassment.

Jen and Gibbs share a laugh at DiNozzo's expense after he has left the room.