A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! I've skipped away a few weeks, to get this story going. There are only three chapters after this one, and then we'll be finished with this story. I'm so glad you've all liked it so far, and I hope the ending suits you all as well!
This is one of those slight-cliffhangers-continues-next-chapter kind of things :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters of NCIS.
Fire fights were never good. And when you went into one not knowing how many people you were against or what kind of weapons they had, that was even worse.
No one was expecting what the team ran into, though.
Five massive men with large weapons stood in front of them, and they appeared outnumbered. But a few quick shots had three of the men down, and the other two looked ready to surrender.
So Tony walked out, gun drawn, to take them down, with Ziva close behind. He'd made it ten feet when there was another shot, and he crumpled to the ground. Ziva turned, shot the man who had shot Tony, who was on a raised platform behind them, while Gibbs and Tim took out the other two men.
Ziva ran to Tony, who was bleeding from his shoulder. He groaned when she probed the wound, but made no other movement. Gibbs reached them, and she turned, worry in her dark brown eyes.
"We must call an ambulance."
Gibbs didn't like making these calls- especially because of a member on his team, to someone he didn't know. But he had to, and he took a deep breath before punching in the number and putting the phone to his ear. After a few rings, a female voice picked up.
"Hello, Kate speaking."
"Kate? This is Special Agent Gibbs, of NCIS."
"What's wrong with Tony?" she asked instantly, and he could detect the fear and worry in her voice. "Is he alright?"
"He's been shot," Gibbs answered, and she sucked in a huge breath of air. "He's at Bethesda Naval Hospital, going into surgery."
"I'll be there as soon as I can," she answered in a tight voice. "I just have to find a sub to take over the class."
"The team is in the waiting room," he replied, and she let out a bitter laugh.
"He wanted me to meet you all- but not like this."
Then, the line went dead.
"Any news, Jethro?" Jenny asked softly, finding him by the coffee machines, making himself his fifth cup. Her slim fingers touched his wrist, and he relished the comforting contact. Turning, he shook his head, and she stepped closer, almost hesitantly. He wrapped his arms around her instantly, pulling her closer to him.
They were sheltered, in the small alcove, and Jenny let down her barriers, hugging him back. She turned her head and brushed her lips over his. He responded by cupping her cheeks and kissing her again, longer this time, letting her open her mouth to him.
Jenny broke away after a few moments, kissing him quickly once more, her hands taking his and squeezing gently.
"Grab your coffee and I'll see if I can get any information," she said, and he swiftly grabbed his cup, his hand ghosting on her back as they headed back to the waiting area where Tim and Ziva were talking quietly, and Abby was pacing the small square of waiting space.
Kate hadn't arrived yet; it had been almost an hour, and Jethro was hoping that it just meant that traffic was bad, or she'd had trouble finding a sub.
"Director," Ziva said quietly, nodding to her friend. Jenny returned to gesture, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
"I'm going to see if I can find anything out from the nurses," she said quietly, and Jethro nodded, taking a seat across from Tim, feeling exhausted.
Just then, a frazzled brunette woman burst into the area, and all their eyes widened.
"Are you the NCIS people?" she asked, and Ziva was the first to respond.
"Are you Kate?" she asked, and the woman nodded. That was when they all noticed her baby bump, and all their eyes widened even further.
"You're...Ziva?" she asked, and the Israeli nodded, slightly surprised. Kate turned next to Tim, looking him over quickly. "And you're Tim."
"That's me," he replied, offering her a smile, which she returned easily. Next she turned to Abby, another hint of a smile touching her face.
"And you're Abby," she said, causing the Goth to grin, distracting her from her worrying.
"He told you about me!" she said, launching herself at Kate. She hugged her tightly until Kate tapped her back, breathless. "Oh, sorry. I'm a hugger."
"So I've heard," Kate said, a soft laugh escaping her. Lastly she turned to Gibbs, her brown eyes slightly wary. "And you must be Gibbs."
"The one and only," he answered, standing up from his seat and offering her his hand, which she shook firmly. "So you're Kate."
"I'm Kate," she replied simply, shrugging her shoulders. Then, she swallowed, her eyes turning a shade darker. "Have you heard anything?"
"I just talked to the nurses-" Jenny said as she walked in, stopping when she noticed the new face. "Oh- hello."
"I'm Kate," Kate said, extending a hand, which Jenny shook, understanding now who this woman was. "I'm guessing you're Director Shepard?"
"Feel free to call me Jenny," Jenny replied, glancing quickly at Jethro. "I have news on Tony."
Everyone came closer so they could hear, and then Jenny spoke.
"The bullet damaged his left shoulder blade, but no internal organs were hit, and he's in Recovery now. He'll need some physical therapy, but should be back in the field in a few months," Jenny told them, watching as they all sighed in relief. "Only one person is allowed to see him now- Kate, would you like to go?"
"If you all don't mind..." Kate said hesitantly, looking at them all.
"Now that we know he's fine, we don't have to be worried, Kate," Tim said, shrugging slightly. "He'll be here in the morning. Go on- tell him we said hi."
"And that he is an idiot," Ziva said, rolling her eyes as she bestowed a smile on the woman.
"Of course," Kate said, and Tim and Ziva nodded once more to everyone around them before leaving together.
"Tell Tony I'll come and visit him tomorrow," Abby said, her green eyes wide. "And that I'll bring Bert, if he wants. He loves Bert."
"I'll tell him, Abby," Kate said, and the Goth beamed, hugging her again.
"Bye Kate. And bye Gibbs, Director," Abby said, depositing hugs on the other two as well before leaving. Kate looked at the other two, slightly bewildered.
"Is she always that...bubbly?" she asked, and they nodded. "Wow."
"Helps that she drinks Caf-Pows! and nothing else," Gibbs said, watching as Kate's eyes widened further.
"Tell Tony we're thinking about him," Jenny said, smiling slightly at Kate.
"I will," Kate said, nodding to them. Jenny gave Jethro a slight push, and they walked together- and just as they rounded the corner, Kate watched as Gibbs slipped his fingers into Jenny's.
Turning with a smile on her face, she made her way to the nurses' station, where she was directed to Tony's bed. His eyes were closed and he was lying on his side when she reached him, his arm held immobile. When she reached his side, she stroked his hair, and his eyes blinked open.
"That you Kate?" he asked, sleep still in his voice, and she nodded, leaning forward to kiss his forehead softly.
"It's me. Nice work, getting shot," she said, keeping her voice quiet. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Not the intent," he replied, blinking his eyes opening again. "Baby?"
"Moving like crazy," she replied, and his lips curled up into a smile.
"Gonna be a soccer star," he replied, pride in his tone. "Or a ballerina."
"I think it's going to be a boy," Kate said, and he shook his head, eyes closing.
"It's a girl," Tony replied, his uninjured hand finding hers, and she brought it to her belly, like she knew he wanted her to. "I'm positive- and DiNozzo's are never wrong."
"I guess we'll just have to see," Kate said, amusement in her tone. "Get some more sleep- I'll be here when you wake up."
"Mmkay. Love you," Tony said, already drifting.
"I love you too Tony," Kate replied softly, brushing back his hair, tracing his ear with her fingertip. He eased back into sleep peacefully, and Kate watched him in silence. She'd come close to losing him today.
She was remembering just how dangerous it was to give someone your heart- even if it wasn't their fault, they could break it.
