Chapter 10

Author's Note: This chapter kind of came out of nowhere but I feel like it is realistic enough [at least in my mind] so I went with it! And don't worry—everything is going to be ok! I promise =)

"I called your house last night. You did not answer," Ziva said as Tony parked the car.

"I wasn't home," Tony said, not offering up any more information. "Who are we interviewing again?"

"Cayden Foster. He is 18 and the son of Jason Foster who was shot yesterday." They got out of the car and started for the front door of the house in the quiet neighborhood. It was early in the afternoon and except for a couple cars driving down the street there was no activity.

"Were you with a girl?" Ziva pried.

Tony glanced over at her smirking. "Do I detect a little jealousy?"

"Ha! I would…" before Ziva could finish her sentence gunshots rang out. She instinctively pushed Tony behind a large bush in the yard. With gunshots still sounding Ziva looked towards the house. She could see a shattered window and the top of a man's head as he pointed the gun out the window and fired at them. When the man paused to reload Ziva popped up from behind the bush and put two rounds in the man's head, killing him instantly.

"Well that was crazy," Ziva said. She looked over at Tony and saw him lying on the ground clutching his abdomen, blood seeping through his fingers.

"Tony!" Ziva dropped to his side and inspected his injury. She put pressure on his wound as a DC Metro police officer arrived on scene.

"I was patrolling a couple streets over when I heard the gunshots," the officer told her.

"We need an ambulance!" Ziva demanded.

"Already on its way. Is it clear in there?"

Ziva could hear the sirens in the distance. "I do not know. We simply came here to question the son of a victim and he opened fire on us."

More cop cars were arriving on scene while Ziva's attention was focused solely on Tony. The DC Metro police cleared house and the ambulance was brought in.

"What is wrong with him?" Ziva asked the EMTs. "Is he going to be ok?" She watched them cut Tony's shirt open, attach an oxygen mask to his face and begin hooking their equipment up to his body.

"GSW to the chest," the paramedic said more to his partner than to Ziva. "We have a sucking chest wound, possible tension pneumothorax. We've got to load and go!"

"What does all that mean?" Ziva begged.

"He's going into shock!" one of the EMTs yelled. Ziva watched helplessly as they quickly loaded Tony onto the stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. She couldn't remember ever being so scared in her life.

"Ziva!" Gibbs called as he hurried through the doors of the emergency room.

"Gibbs, I do not know anything," Ziva said, clearly upset. "None of these people will talk to me!" she yelled in the direction if the receptionist.

Gibbs looked her over to see if she was injured. "Are you ok?" he asked as he held onto her arm and looked directly into her eyes.

"I am fine but Tony is not!" Ziva said.

Abby and Tim walked up behind Gibbs and Ziva. Abby gasped. "Oh my… is he…" she clamped her hand over her mouth refusing to say the words out loud; refusing to believe Tony was gone.

"You two, stay with her!" Gibbs instructed Tim and Abby.

As Tim, Abby and Ziva embraced in the waiting room, holding onto each other for support they heard Gibbs slam his hand on the counter and yell at the receptionist. None of the three of them spoke. There were no words to say. Gibbs was there to take care of everything. They knew he would find out what was going on and more importantly they knew he wouldn't let Tony die. He was more than their father; he was a hero to each of them.

"Come on, let's go," Gibbs said breaking up their huddle. "Tony's having emergency surgery; we can wait for him on the sixth floor." Gibbs led them over to the elevator and herded them in.

"Boss?" Tim asked as they were going up.

"That's all I know McGee," Gibbs said. The elevator dinged and opened to a much less chaotic scene than they had come from in the emergency room. The waiting room was much cozier. It was filled with warm colors, framed pictures, fake plants, and comfortable seating.

Gibbs checked in with the receptionist then called Ziva over to a private corner away from Tim and Abby. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"Tony and I went to question the boy like you told us. We were walking up the front path to the door when we heard gunshots. We took cover behind a bush, when the boy stopped to reload I shot him in the head, twice. I looked over at Tony and he was just lying there. It all happened so fast Gibbs. I do not know what happened next."

"Are you ok?" Gibbs asked her again. "Are you hurt at all."

"No," Ziva said. "I was not hit." She looked at Gibbs and he could see the tears building in her eyes.

"This wasn't your fault Ziver," Gibbs said. Ziva maintained eye contact with Gibbs for a brief moment before looking away. She didn't respond. She had no idea what to say. Tony was dying and it was all her fault. She was sure of it. "Come on," Gibbs said softly. "Everything will be ok." They two walked over to the waiting room where Tim was sitting watching Abby pace.

"Did they say how long he was going to be in surgery Gibbs?" Abby asked as she paced through the isle. "Did they tell you anything?"

Gibbs shook his head as he took a seat across from McGee. "Come here Abs," he said, patting the spot next to him on the two person seat he'd chosen. Abby stopped pacing and sat down next Gibbs. She curled her body under his protective arm and rested her head against his chest. Gibbs held her close him as he moved his thumb in comforting circles over her arm to calm her.

"Is he going to be ok Gibbs?" Abby asked quietly. She reached up and squeezed Gibbs' hand.

"He'll be ok," Gibbs said. He kissed the top of her head then rested his head on hers.

While they were waiting for news from the doctor Ducky and Palmer showed up.

"Have you heard anything Jethro?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "He's having emergency surgery. Haven't heard anything else."

"Anthony's a strong young man," Ducky said. "I'm sure he'll pull through."

"Any word on our shooter?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, Bethesda faxed me over a copy of his medical records. Cayden Foster suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. My guess is he stopped taking his medication. I can confirm that during the autopsy."

After what seemed like endless hours of waiting for news, the surgeon finally came out to talk to the anxious group.

"Special Agent DiNozzo is going to be just fine," the doctor said, immediately easing everyone's fears. "The bullet pierced his liver; he lost a lot of blood. We had to remove part of his left lobe to control the bleeding but one of the amazing things about the liver is it will grow back. His liver is very healthy, within the next six months is should completely regenerate itself."

"Can we see him?" Ziva asked.

"He's still pretty out of it," the doctor said, "but you can go in a couple at a time. Just keep in mind he's not going to be making a lot of sense."

"He doesn't usually make sense when he's with it," Palmer joked trying to lighten the mood. Everyone turned and looked at him. "Sorry," he said.

Jenny arrived with Grace as the doctor was finishing up talking to everybody. Ziva, Tim, Abby and Jimmy went in to see Tony first while Gibbs spoke with Jenny and Ducky.

"I tracked down Cayden Foster's psychiatrist," Jenny said handing Grace to Gibbs. Gibbs gave Grace a big hug as he listened to Jenny. Somehow the stress of almost losing Tony seemed to ease with the precious child in his arms. "The psychiatrist told me Cayden recently found out his father was seeing another man and he didn't take it very well."

"Our second victim at the double homicide scene?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. Cayden must have walked in on them, lost his cool, got his father's weapon and opened fire on them. I told her about Ducky's theory that the boy stopped taking his meds. His psychiatrist confirmed that if that was the case it wouldn't take long before paranoia set in."

"So when Tony and Ziva showed up to question him…"

"He was likely in a state of hyper-arousal when he opened fire on them," Jenny said, finishing Gibbs' sentence for him. Ducky relayed what the doctor had told them to Jenny while Grace sat on Gibbs' lap pretending to read a magazine.

"Why don't you take a break Jethro?" Jenny suggested. "You've been here all afternoon. Go home. Take Grace. I'll stay with Tony."

"Daddy, did somebody die?" Grace asked as she turned around on his lap to face him.

"Nobody died Gracie," Gibbs said. "Tony's just a little sick but he'll be ok."

"Can I see Tony?" Grace traced Gibbs eyebrows with her fingers, then his nose and lips. Gibbs took her hands in his and smiled at her.

"Not right now Sweet Pea," Gibbs said. "We're going to go home in a minute." He turned his attention back to Jenny. "I want to see him before I leave."

"I'll watch her while you're in there," Jenny said taking Grace back from him.

Gibbs walked into Tony's room and saw Ziva sitting by his bedside holding his hand. His skin was as pale as Gibbs had ever seen it and he was hooked up to several different machines. Gibbs stood next to Ziva and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Is he awake?" he asked. Ziva simply shook her head. "Give it time," he said.

Gibbs moved to the head of the bed and rested his hand on Tony's head. There was something about physical contact from Gibbs that affected Tony. His father wasn't the most affectionate person so Tony learned to treasure any affection he received. Gibbs was definitely a father figure in Tony's life. Tony longed to please him. Whenever he was rewarded with a compliment or any form of physical contact it brightened his day in a way that even he couldn't explain.

"You hang in there Tony," Gibbs said quietly. On his way to the door he stopped behind Ziva's chair, leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "My door is always open Ziva," he said. Ziva nodded her head and Gibbs squeezed her shoulder before exiting the room.

"I'll set up a rotation schedule with everybody, make sure they're not overdoing it," Jenny said as Gibbs took Grace from her.

"Thanks Jen," Gibbs said, "for everything." He leaned down and kissed her, not caring who was in the room to see.

"See!" Grace said. "I told you Daddy kisses her on the lips!" Tim and Abby smiled at Grace. Jimmy looked lost.

Gibbs looked around the waiting room at the guilty faces of his team members. He gently pinched Grace's nose and winked at Jenny.

Ziva sat at Tony's bedside and watched his face for any expression of pain or anything else he might be feeling. She carefully lifted the blanket off his chest and looked at the large white bandage hiding the incision from the surgery.

"I'm so sorry Tony," she whispered. She picked up his hand in hers carefully, not wanting to jostle him too much. "This is all my fault. I was teasing you about the girl when we should have been paying more attention. I should have known something was off, I should have sensed it." She felt Tony very softly squeeze her hand only for a second. She looked at his face but he still appeared to be out of it.

"Tony?" she whispered.

"Not. Your. Fault." Tony managed to get out, his throat dry and his voice raspy.

"Tony, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I wish I could have taken the bullet instead of you."

"Rule 6," Tony said. He opened his eyes just barely.

"I know," Ziva said, "Do not apologize; it is a sign of weakness but not between friends. Remember?" She watched as Tony closed his eyes and once again escaped into sleep.

"Ziva," called a voice from the door. Ziva looked up to see Director Shepard approaching Tony's bed. Everyone else had left the hospital after they took their turn visiting with Tony. "How is he?" Jenny could see the sweat forming on Tony's forehead. She went into the bathroom and returned with a cool damp washcloth.

"He woke for a moment, but he is sleeping again," Ziva said as Jenny dabbed the sweat off Tony's forehead.

"That's a good sign," Jenny said. "How are you holding up?"

"I am fine," Ziva said. "It is not me who was shot."

"I know," Jenny said, "but just because you weren't shot doesn't mean this isn't affecting you."

"I am fine Jenny, really," Ziva insisted.

"Why don't you go home? I'll stay with him tonight." Jenny suggested. "He's probably going to sleep most of the night anyways, you can come back tomorrow. I already sent McGee and Abby home. We can stay with him in shifts, that way someone is always here."

"I really do not want to leave him," Ziva said. "I would like to stay with him a little longer." Jenny nodded and pulled up a chair next to Ziva.

Gibbs was sitting on his couch with Grace in his lap reading her a story when he heard his front door open. He glanced up from the book and saw Tim and Abby. As he kept reading they removed their shoes and jackets and joined them on the couch. Tim sat in the corner opposite Gibbs and Abby cuddled up right next to Gibbs. Gibbs wrapped his arm around her and held her close as he continued the story.

When he was done with the book Grace was still fighting sleep. She was trying her best to keep her eyes open but was slowly losing the battle.

"Are you guys ok?" Gibbs asked. He momentarily took his hand off Abby's shoulder and squeezed Tim's shoulder.

"No," Abby cried as the tears finally flooded her face. "I'm sorry Gibbs." As emotional as she was she didn't usually cry in front of people but the stress of the day had built up so much it was unpreventable.

"Shh," Gibbs shushed her as he pulled her even closer to him. "It's ok," he whispered into her hair. He kissed the top of her head a couple times before looking over at Tim who was sitting perfectly still staring off into space. Tim was a master at hiding his emotions but Gibbs could see right through him. He knew how badly Tim was hurting, he could see the fear Tim felt.

Tim reached over and rested his hand on Abby's leg while she cried. They were all touching, they were all connected. Tim and Abby had showed up at Gibbs' house for reassurance. Neither wanted to be alone. It was almost like a child returning home after a tragedy. Gibbs' house was a house of love. Despite its modest appearance it was a house of comfort and peace, a refuge from all the troubles of the world.

"I'm going to put Gracie to bed," Gibbs said quietly after Abby had calmed down. "I'll be right back."

Abby scooted closer to Tim and hugged his arm while Gibbs took Grace upstairs. Before returning to the living room Gibbs made Tim and Abby each a cup of hot chocolate and heated up a cup of coffee for himself.

"Do you believe the doctor?" Abby asked as she took a mug of cocoa from Gibbs. "Is Tony really going to be ok?"

Gibbs handed the second cup to Tim before sitting down beside Abby. "Tony's going to be fine Abs," he said confidently.

"Did you see him Gibbs? He didn't look fine," Abby said her voice anxious. "He was so pale and his skin was so cold. He didn't even look that bad when he had the plague."

"Abby, Tony is going to be just fine. I promise," Gibbs said. "He'd just gotten out of surgery when you saw him, and he'd lost a lot of blood. He'll look better tomorrow."

"Boss, do you think Tony will still work for NCIS?" Tim asked.

"Oh yah," Gibbs answered. "He'll need some time off to recover but he'll be back."

"This all seems so unreal," Abby said. "Maybe it's just a bad dream and we'll all wake up tomorrow?" She looked over at Gibbs hoping he would agree with her.

Gibbs gave Abby a reassuring smile. "Why don't you try to get some rest Abs," he said. "You can sleep with Gracie if you'd like."

Abby took a deep breath. "She won't mind?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Uh-uh, but she'll probably try to cuddle with you." Abby put her mug on the cocoa table, gave Tim and Gibbs a hug, let Gibbs kiss her forehead then went upstairs to Grace's room.

"What about you?" Gibbs asked Tim. "You want the air mattress, over in the corner where you like it?"

Tim nodded his head at Gibbs but didn't say anything. Gibbs stood and patted the side of Tim's leg before retrieving the air mattress he kept in the coat closet. He made up the bed for Tim then tossed him his favorite blanket.

"Thanks Boss," Tim said.

Gibbs smiled at him. "Get some sleep Tim."

Author's Note: I am not a doctor but I did a little research and did the best I could with all the medical stuff. So, if there are any doctors reading this, you're probably laughing [or maybe crying!] but hopefully it doesn't take away from the story too much! =)