Tony got up quickly and headed downstairs, Ducky and Gibbs right behind him.
McGee looked up in surprise when he saw Tony fly by him, and Ducky trying to keep up. Gibbs stopped in front of him. "Boss, what's happened?"
"Ziva's been found, Holy Cross Hospital. Tony and Ducky are heading there now. Gear up. You and I are going to the Director's home."
"Boss?" Tim asked as he was grabbing his backpack.
Gibbs looked at McGee. "Mossad just kidnapped the Director's wife."
Deceit
Chapter Fourteen: "New (and Old) Wounds"
Director Vance's Home
Gibbs and McGee were over at Vance's house within a half hour. They found the two agents assigned to guard his home had been rendered unconscious.
They dusted for finger prints and looked for shoe impressions. "Uh, Director? If I can take a look at your security camera footage, maybe we can see something." Tim was pale and nervous.
He didn't like it when things happened to their team. They were finally on the upswing from the bombing, and now this?
Vance nodded and showed McGee where his security center was. As McGee disappeared, Vance turned to Gibbs.
"OK, tell me what DiNozzo told you."
Gibbs rubbed his face. "While we were working the missing girl case, an old friend of Ziva just happened to have a stopover in DC on the way to Seattle for a conference."
"Shmeil Pinkhas. I already know all about him and his involvement." Vance interrupted. "In fact, I met him in the Men's room."
Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, well what you don't know is that Ziva introduced him to DiNozzo, and Mr. Pinkhas just coincidentally happened to have met another Anthony DiNozzo in a bar in Geneva, which of'course horrified Tony."
Despite his deep concern over his wife, Vance couldn't help but smile at DiNozzo's dilemma. "Pinkhas immediately insisted that Tony join them for the evening, which according to Tony, lasted until about 4 a.m. if his memory serves. There was much alcohol and many words said."
"Including perhaps a certain Agent's feelings toward another Agent?" Vance's mouth was a thin line.
Gibbs looked weary. "DiNozzo says he has no idea what he said to Mr. Pinkhas after a certain point, but he does remember talking about the bombing and he and Ziva being stuck in the elevator together. After that…" Gibbs paused.
"Once Tony told me this, I checked. No Shmeil Pinkhas was on any flight out of DC to the West Coast, and certainly not to Seattle. However, one Shmeil Pinkhas did board an international flight on the morning Ziva dropped him off at the airport."
"Let me guess; Israel?" Vance finished.
"He was sent to gather information for Eli, about Tony and Ziva; maybe about NCIS, from their point of view. David must have had some idea that their relationship was getting closer, and sent Pinkhas to get first-hand knowledge. I don't know. But now, he has now taken away someone you love." Gibbs finished.
"What? Because he thinks his daughter and Agent DiNozzo are in a relationship? That's no excuse for abducting my wife! It's insane, but I can't think of any justifiable reason…"
"Of'course you can, Leon. We've already discussed this. Eli is convinced his daughter is in a relationship with DiNozzo, a relationship he does not approve. Therefore, he has flown all the way here to take her home against her will to separate them. This is bullshit."
Gibbs took a deep breath. "I think using the relationship with Tony was their means to the end."
Vance looked confused. "What end? What is this, Biblical times? You're talking about 'an eye for an eye', aren't you? My wife for Ziva?" Vance was ready to explode.
Montgomery County, MD- Mossad Safe House
Eli David slammed his phone shut. He was angry at being played the fool by Leon Vance. But he now had the upper hand. He winced as the doctor probed his leg.
The doctor looked at Eli. "Eli, the bullet needs to come out. It will be painful, but I will give you a local anesthetic." Eli nodded and gritted his teeth.
The doctor was one of many that were available to Mossad should the need arise. Unfortunately, they needed the services of one Dr. Levi Rusha.
The doctor injected Lidocaine to numb the area, and then used a scalpel to enlarge the wound. He was able to extract the bullet using forceps. Fortunately, the bullet did not fragment.
He finished by irrigating the wound with a normal saline/antibiotic solution and stitched the wound closed and applied a dressing.
The doctor drew up a syringe. "I'm going to give you an injection of an antibiotic, and then I will leave you enough pills for ten days. Take one a day. I will also leave you something for the pain if you should need it. Call me if any signs of infection show up. Shalom, Eli." The doctor gave the Director of Mossad a slight nod and took his leave.
Eli looked up tiredly as Arash Kazmi came into the room. "The doctor has left?"
"Yes, Arash. He did not see you. Now quit worrying. Where is Liat?"
"That one!" Arash said with derision. "She is making our 'guest' comfortable."
Eli laughed. "Is she? Well, she will not be here long enough to worry about being comfortable."
Arash eyed his Director. "You believe they will make the trade?" Leaving Ziva David at a hospital had altered their original plan.
"Of'course! Leon Vance would send all of his Agents to Hell if it meant getting his wife back. All is well. We have had a set-back, but it will turn in our favor. You will see."
Holy Cross Hospital
Tony dropped Ducky off at the ED entrance and went to park the car. He then ran inside, where he found Ducky talking to Fornell.
"Where is she?" Tony demanded.
"Slow down there, DiNozzo. She's been in surgery for the last half hour. I have spoken to the ED doctor, but I told him that you and Dr. Mallard would also like to speak to him.
"Well, let's go talk to him." Tony said.
"Anthony, I have already informed the front desk to let him know that we are here. You wouldn't want him to stop in the middle of taking care of a patient to talk to us, would you? When he is available, they will call us back."
He guided Tony to a seat. "They have also informed the OR that the family of Ziva David has arrived. They will send someone down when she is out of surgery."
Tony rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, ok. Fine. I'll try to be patient."
About ten minutes later, Dr. Johnson came through the automatic doors and walked up to the group. He held out his hand. "Hi, Dr. Joe Johnson. I treated Ms. David when she came in our department."
"That's Special Agent David." Tony corrected.
"Excuse me?" Dr. Johnson said.
"Ziva. She's an NCIS Special Agent. Sorry. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, Dr. Donald Mallard."
Dr. Johnson shook both men's hands. "Well, as I was saying, I was…Special Agent David's Attending when she was brought in. She was bleeding and unconscious. We determined the cause of the bleeding and called in a specialist."
"You mean you called in someone from OB." Ducky said.
Dr. Johnson looked at them. "I wasn't sure if you were aware of her condition, so I was trying to be discreet. But yes, I called OB in. We gave her IV fluids as well as blood. Her blood pressure was extremely low, but we were able to stabilize her."
He stopped and looked at them. "It was clear that someone had beaten her. She has a large bruise and swelling over her left eye. We don't think there was any head injury, and frankly, stopping her bleeding was our first priority."
Dr. Johnson regarded his visitors. "Once she is out of surgery, she will be further evaluated regarding other injuries. I do know that she was probably kicked in the abdomen, which most likely contributed to the bleeding."
Tony's stomach was in knots, listening to the doctor. "What kind of surgery is she having, and yes, I know she lost the baby."
Dr. Johnson let out his breath at that. "She is having a D & C. It removes any remaining tissue from the uterus and cauterizes the bleeding. It is usually all that is necessary to stop the bleeding after a miscarriage."
Tony looked sharply at the doctor at that. "What do you mean, usually?"
The doctor sighed and wished OB was down here to explain it better. "Look, OB is not my specialty. But the OB said if they couldn't control or stop the bleeding with the D & C, they may have to do a hysterectomy."
"Oh, dear God, no." Ducky murmured.
Tony stared at both doctors. "What is that? What does that mean?"
"What that means Anthony is that they would have to remove Ziva's uterus. It would mean she could never bear a child."
Tony sat in the chair, and rubbed his face. He had been trying to keep strong, but that did it. He broke down and let the tears he had been holding in fall. Ducky was immediately by his side.
Fornell watched DiNozzo with concern. His eyes had opened wide at "baby" and "D & C" and "miscarriage." He understood that he and Agent David were partners, but this was a little over the top. Suddenly, he figured it out. "I sure hope Jethro knows about this." He thought to himself.
Ducky looked up at Dr. Johnson. "In case you haven't been able to figure it out, Tony was the father," confirming Fornell's suspicions.
Dr. Johnson looked grim. "I'm really sorry for your loss." He said, feeling how empty and useless those words really were.
Director Vance's Home
McGee had pulled up the security footage. From what they could tell, Arash Kazmi had worked alone, and made no attempt to conceal his identity. In fact, several times he looked up at the cameras and smiled.
"What an arrogant Bastard!" Vance snarled.
The end of the footage showed Kazmi carrying an unconscious Jackie Vance out of range of the camera. Vance hitched his breath, seeing the love of his life in the arms of this Mossad Assassin.
"We found this outside, Leon." Gibbs tossed the plastic bag onto the table. Vance looked at the cloth inside.
"Chloroform?" He asked, knowing the answer.
"Looks like it. Quick and quiet way to subdue her and the agents outside. They may not intend to injure her, Leon."
"What is wrong with Eli?" Vance slammed his fist on the table. "Doesn't he realize the serious repercussions this could have between our countries?"
"Uh, Director Vance? From the text messages Tony received from Ziva, it was clear she thought her father was ill, or not in his right mind." McGee interjected.
Vance looked at McGee, then at Gibbs. "Are you trying to tell me that Eli David may be insane?"
Gibbs picked up the plastic bag. "Insane, crazy, nuts, sick; I don't know Director. But you didn't see what he did to his own daughter."
Vance started. "Then what's to say he won't do the same to Jackie?"
Gibbs looked uncomfortable. "Nothing, except my gut. I think this was all part of the plan from the beginning. I think Ziva wasn't as compliant as he thought she would be, and that resulted in her now being in the hospital."
Gibbs paced a bit. "We now have Ziva back. I think he might have created this whole situation as a trade. He wants Ziva back. If you want your wife back, then we give up Ziva."
"But what about what Ziva wants?" McGee protested.
"That's where the plan failed." Gibbs nodded to McGee. "Ziva wouldn't willingly go with him. But to save the life of the Director's wife?"
Tim paled. "Do you really think Ziva would leave, and go back with her father?"
Gibbs looked upset. "She wouldn't like it, but I think she would feel that she would need to sacrifice herself."
"Son of a Bitch!" McGee said. "Sorry." He looked down.
Vance looked grim. This was a no-win situation as far as he was concerned. He wanted Jackie back, but he didn't want Agent David used as the pawn. He wanted Agent David to stay, but then he might not get his wife back.
"Director, have you heard back from Eli David since this happened?" Gibbs brought Vance back to the present.
He shook his head, his anger rising. "No, and he has not answered any of my calls."
Holy Cross Hospital
After speaking to Dr. Johnson, Tony and Ducky had been directed to the OR family waiting area. They were there for another half hour when a surgeon came through the door.
"Family of Ziva David?" Tony and Ducky both stood. The surgeon walked over to them. "Dr. Thomas Maher, I was the Attending OB surgeon for Agent David. They are just finishing up and then she will be taken to the Recovery Room."
Tony and Ducky introduced themselves. "Let's go to this room here."
Tony didn't like being led to the room. It reminded him too much of what had transpired at NCIS. Ducky took his arm and helped guide him to the room.
"I'm not sure how much you know about Ziva's medical condition…" the surgeon began.
"We know everything." Ducky said quietly.
Dr. Maher nodded. "Ok, then, well we proceeded to perform a Dilatation and Curettage…a D& C, to stop the bleeding caused by the miscarriage and to make sure all tissue had been evacuated."
Tony tensed up at the word "evacuated". He had a crazy thought like "Elvis has left the building", except in this case it wasn't Elvis, it was his and Ziva's child. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"Fortunately, we were able to stop the bleeding without having to do any more invasive procedures."
"So you are saying you did not need to do a hysterectomy?" Ducky asked quickly.
Dr. Maher looked at Ducky. "No or rather, yes, Dr. Mallard. We didn't have to do a hysterectomy. We did do a quick laparoscopy to get a better look inside."
He paused and looked uncomfortable. "I know Agent David works for NCIS, but was she ever…sexually abused?"
Tony and Ducky both sat up straight at that question and looked at each other.
Tony cleared his throat. "Three and a half years ago, Ziva went back to Mossad. She infiltrated a terrorist camp and was captured. She was held for at least three months before we rescued her. Why do you ask that question?"
Dr. Maher again looked uncomfortable. "Did she ever tell you what happened while she was captured?"
Tony shook his head. "Some, not everything. But we're not stupid. I can well imagine what they did to her, even without her telling me. In fact, that she hasn't told me says more."
Dr. Maher nodded, satisfied. "Agent David clearly suffered at the hands of the, uh, terrorists. Agent DiNozzo, you are in a relationship with Ziva, correct and the father of the child?"
Tony nodded, wondering why the doctor was asking this question.
"I just wanted to prepare you. There is significant scarring in her uterus."
Tony looked angry and sucked in his breath. Ducky put his hand on his arm. Ducky looked at the surgeon. "This would be expected with multiple incidents of sexual abuse." He stated it as fact.
Ducky continued. "Will this affect Ziva's future ability to bear a child?"
Tony looked at Ducky sharply then back at the surgeon.
"Will it?" Tony asked, his voice a whisper.
Dr. Maher looked sympathetic. "I'm not going to sugar coat this. It could, but I can't sit here and tell you that it will be impossible for her to bear a child to term. But I would say she would possibly, again I say possibly have a difficult pregnancy."
He smiled. "The good news is, is that she has already conceived and the embryo implanted. That is very hopeful, for the future when you decide to try again."
He let that sink in. Tony's mind was going numb. Try again? They didn't "try" the first time. This was getting to be too much.
Mossad Safe House
Jackie Vance woke slowly. She was groggy and her eyes unfocused. She could hear nothing. Feeling around, she realized she was in a bed, a fairly comfortable bed to her surprise.
She tried to sit up, but the room started to spin, so she lay back down. She took deep breaths, trying not to hyperventilate. She knew she wasn't in her home, but she had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly tried to raise herself and willed the dizziness to stop. She forced her mind to focus, to try to remember what happened.
She remembered being in her kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. That was it. She shook her head, and then wished she didn't.
She tried to stand but couldn't do it. She sat quietly, thinking about Leon and her children and the tears started to fall.
NCIS
Gibbs, Fornell, Agents from Homeland Security, the CIA and Secretary of the Navy Clayton Jarvis were in Vance's office. Each took their turn updating the SecNav with what info they had gathered.
He listened with growing frustration. He was glad they had Agent David back, but was disturbed her father would inflict such injuries on her.
He was also glad that young Agent had been able to get a round into the Director, even if it was only his leg.
And now Jackie Vance. This was going from bad to worse.
Tony's closer to seeing Ziva, and now we have a new problem to deal with. Thanks for the continued support! New photos for SS show Eli, Ziva, Leon and Jackie sharing Shabbat. So see? You worried about Ziva for nothing! At least as far as dinner goes…