True to Brad's word, about an hour later Ziva and Gibbs were taken to ICU to see Tony. Ziva's knees buckled when she saw her husband and the father of her children lying so still, not breathing on his own.

Gibbs caught her before she fell. "Ok, Ziver?" He whispered in her hair.

Ziva composed herself and nodded. She kept a tight hold on Gibbs' arm as she approached the bedside. She stroked Tony's pale cheek, absently noting the cast on his left hand, the IV's and monitors.

"Oh, my love. What have you done to yourself?"

Chapter Fourteen:

Gibbs took Ziva home after she had visited Tony for an hour. She was exhausted and Tony wasn't going to wake up any time soon. She checked every part of his body, to prove to herself the extent of his injuries.

She didn't like the look of the chest tube, but understood its necessity. She watched knowingly as Gibbs whispered in Tony's ear, most likely telling him to get his ass out of bed.

He took her arm and guided her to the car. She was quiet on the drive home, but turned to him went he pulled into the driveway.

"What do I say to Karina? She will look for Tony. He should be here." She looked down.

"Hey, tell her the truth. Kids know if you are lying to them. I don't mean give her all of the details, but tell her Tony had an accident and is getting better and will be home soon. Tell her he has a 'big boo-boo'; she'll understand that." Gibbs squeezed her hand.

Ziva smiled at "big boo-boo". She slowly unbuckled and got out of the car. Gibbs walked her up to the house. Mimi heard them drive up and met them at the door, holding Jack.

Ziva immediately took Jack, kissing his head and holding him close to her chest. "Thank you, Mimi." She whispered gratefully. "Is Karina sleeping?"

Mimi sat on the sofa with Gibbs, watching Ziva closely. "Yes, I put her to bed a half hour ago. I told her you would be home soon and you would want her to go to bed."

"She did not ask about Tony?" Ziva asked, surprise.

Mimi leaned forward. "She's too young to notice things like this, and to foresee future events. Daddy's home when Daddy's home. That's all she knows. I purposely did not bring him up." She cleared her throat.

"I am sure he will be fine, Ziva. Brad is the absolute best." Mimi grabbed Gibbs' hand.

Ziva nodded, cuddling her baby. "But what will this do to him going forward? Will he be able to work? Or at least stay in the field?" Ziva expressed the concerns Gibbs was feeling.

"Ziver, we'll worry about that when it comes. Let's not borrow trouble. One day at a time, ok?" Gibbs said quietly.

Ziva held his gaze, looking for some sign that he was holding back something. But all she saw was his love and concern for his "kids". She nodded, and then turned to Mimi.

"Am I able to take Jack with me to the hospital? I do not want to take Karina. I was thinking I could take her to daycare at work when I went to visit Tony."

Mimi considered the question. "I don't think you should, Ziva. Wait, let me tell you why. There are many sick people in the hospital, and I don't mean just the patients. Jack's immunity is not fully developed yet. You don't want to expose him to any potential infections."

Ziva sat stunned. She hadn't considered that. She sighed. "I do not want to keep imposing on everyone, but I am not ready to leave Jack at the NCIS child care facility."

Gibbs looked at Mimi. "Bring them both in. We can take care of Jack between all of us. If we get called out into the field, we'll take him down to the lab. Or to Vance." Gibbs smirked.

Ziva looked unsure. "Ziva, it will be ok. Trust me. You don't want to take Jack to the hospital with you." Gibbs insisted.

She nodded slowly, agreeing with his proposal. "All right. I will call before I come in, to let you know we are on the way." She smoothed Jack's hair. "He is already getting a few curls." She marveled at her son.

"Get some sleep, Ziva. You've had a stressful day, and a rambunctious little girl will greet you in the morning." Mimi advised.

Gibbs stood up and offered Mimi a hand. Ziva looked up at them and smiled. "Thank you for taking care of us."

Gibbs smiled and bent down to kiss her. Mimi kissed her cheek. "You call if you need anything, got it?" Gibbs said to her as they turned to leave.

"Got it, Gibbs." Ziva responded.

Tim and Abby's Home

"Abby?" Tim called out when he got home from work. He was worried about telling Abby about Tony, but knew he had to. She would never forgive him if she found out he kept it from her.

"Up here!" She called out. She held out her arms when he came up, giving him a big hug and kiss. She pulled back and looked at him, frowning. "Something's happened. What's wrong?"

Tim kept his arm around her. "Tony got hurt at work today. He's going to be fine. He has a broken hand and some cracked ribs. They're watching him because of his lung history."

Abby had gasped when he mentioned Tony was hurt. She frowned when he brought up Tony's previous illness.

"They're worried about his breathing? Spill it, Tim. What aren't you telling me?" Abby grabbed his hand.

"Ok, just keep calm. I want those babies to come on time, not early." Tim held her tightly. Abby looked pale at that.

"He was having trouble breathing at the scene. He's at Walter Reed. They put him on a ventilator and inserted a chest tube to drain some blood in his left lung."

"Oh my God. Poor Tony! Poor Ziva! Is she ok? I need to go to her." Tim stopped Abby as she tried to get out of bed.

"Whoa, whoa Abby! You are not going anywhere. Gibbs is taking care of Ziva. And Dr. Pitt is taking care of Tony. He'll be fine."

Abby had tears in her eyes. "You don't know that, Timmy!" She plucked at her comforter, rubbing her stomach.

Tim tried to comfort her as best he could. He was terribly worried about Tony, but he needed to keep a brave face on for Abby's and the babies' sake.

"What about Karina? And Jack! Oh, my God he's still a newborn. It's not fair, Tim." Abby hid her head in his shoulder.

"Abby, you need to calm down. I don't want to call Mimi. Tony is in good hands and is getting the best medical care. Ziva has seen him, and Mimi is taking care of the kids. I want you to relax, ok? I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"No! Timmy, of'course you needed to tell me. How can you even say that? I'm fine, I am upset, yes. But I am fine. F.I.N.E., ok?" Abby took McGee's face in her hands to make sure he was looking at her and listening to what she was saying.

Tim kissed her deeply and touched his forehead against hers. "It was so scary, Abbs. Seeing Tony hit by that car, seeing him fly into the street." Tim shuddered.

Abby gulped, now hearing exactly what had happened. She held Tim tightly, letting him get his emotions under control.

Walter Reed

Brad was waiting for Ziva when she arrived. She had dropped Karina and Jack off at NCIS at ten a.m. Everyone came up to see Jack, as only the team had met him. She had a little trouble getting away from the throng of well-wishers, between their congratulations on the baby and their concern for Tony. It was noon before she finally got to Tony's room.

"Hi, heard you had trouble tearing yourself away from the Navy Yard." Brad smiled.

"Something like that. How is Tony?" Ziva smiled at Brad, frazzled at being so late.

"He's doing well. There has been no more bleeding so we have clamped the chest tube. If his lung remains inflated and no further bleeding occurs, we will take the chest tube out. We will also start weaning him off the sedation to monitor his pulmonary status. If all goes well, he could be extubated by tomorrow."

Ziva held her breath as she listened to Brad explain his plan of care for Tony. He opened the door to the room and they both entered.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek, running her fingers through this hair. She took his un-casted right hand in his and looked at Brad. "How will this affect his ability to remain in the field?"

Brad looked surprised, not expecting the question. He carefully considered his words. "Well, until we wake him up and evaluate his lung function, I can't really say how this will affect his work, for good or for bad. But I think it also depends on the physical requirements of NCIS. He clearly doesn't need to run a mile under ten minutes, or maybe even fifteen minutes."

Ziva looked confused. "How do you know that?"

Brad smiled softly. "Gibbs. The man has no knees. There's no way he would pass a physical test of speed or possibly even endurance. Clearly he is not banned from the field."

Ziva chuckled softly at Brad's assessment. What he said was true. Gibbs had terrible knees, and although he could run when he had to, he didn't run often and it didn't keep him out of the field. She felt better.

She looked at Tony again, and pulled up a chair. "Please let me know when you are waking him up. I want to be here; he will be scared." Ziva said softly.

Brad nodded in agreement. "Tony was actually a very good patient eleven years ago. He will be scared and anxious, but he will follow orders."

"Can you tell me about what happened? Tony does not like to talk about it. He…just waves his hand like it is no big deal. But it was. He almost died." Ziva's eyes were dark with emotion.

"I take it you were not part of the team then?" Brad pulled up a chair. "Tony opened an envelope that contained y. Pestis. I don't know the specifics of the case, I mean why it happened. The floor was locked down and the team was all tested. Tony was obviously exposed so he had to come here and be placed in isolation until we found out what, if anything, he had been exposed to and how to treat it. We were dismayed when we found out it was chemically altered."

"That means there was no useful treatment for it, then, yes?" Ziva asked quietly.

"Unfortunately. We gave him antibiotics once his blood came back positive, but it was more palliative than useful. Tony survived the plague on his own. And Agent Todd was lucky she didn't catch it from him since she refused to leave his side."

Ziva's head snapped up at that. "Agent Todd? What do you mean she wouldn't leave his side?" This was news to her. No one had mentioned Kate being at Bethesda with Tony.

"Kate was admitted as a precaution because she had upper respiratory symptoms. She kept complaining she had a cold before the incident, but we had protocols to follow. She came back negative, but when we told her Tony was infected, she refused to leave. Staying with him until…well I kicked her out when I thought we had reached our time and Tony was going to die. I didn't want her there for that."

Ziva sat stunned, hearing that Kate had stayed with Tony while he was dying. Had they been…? She shook her head, dismayed by her thoughts. But it made her feel all the more upset at the ensuing events. She had never considered that Tony may have had feelings for Kate, other than as a work partner, and vice versa. No one had ever offered that opinion to her, but then again, she was not exactly confided in when she first arrived.

She thought back to her dossiers on each team member that she had compiled for Ari. If anything, she remembered wondering about the relationship between Kate and Gibbs, not Kate and Tony. She had surveilled the team months before, and noticed a familiarity and comfort between the team leader and the lone female Agent. She likened Tony and Kate to squabbling children more than anything. She realized Brad was still talking and turned her thoughts back to him.

"I heard weeks later that Kate had been killed in the field. It was such a terrible loss and she was such a really nice person. She and Tony reminded me of me and my sister. Fight constantly but always have each other's back. I guess you were her replacement?"

Ziva took a breath. "Yes, eventually. I was a member of Mossad, and we investigated Agent Todd's death with NCIS. I was offered the position of Liaison with NCIS. Six years ago, I quit Mossad and became an American Citizen and an NCIS Special Agent."

Brad's eyes widened when Ziva had said she was Mossad. He didn't press for details why Mossad was investigating Kate's death. He looked at her with a new appreciation. This information certainly explained her exotic beauty. He stood up.

"Will you be here long? I will check back around 3 p.m. If Tony looks good, we'll take out the chest tube." Brad told her.

"I will be here." Ziva said softly, looking at Tony.

NCIS

"Director, here are the reports you requested." Gibbs handed out the folders.

"Thanks, Gibbs." Vance glanced up and did a double take. "Are we recruiting younger Agents now?" He asked, looking pointedly at Jack, who was sleeping in Gibbs arms.

"Yeah, well that way we can mold them." Gibbs looked down affectionately at his grandson.

Vance smiled and stood. "He's looking more like Karina everyday isn't he? How is Agent DiNozzo doing, both of them?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Ziva is at the hospital right now. She called and said that they are taking out the chest tube, and seeing how Tony does. He's not out of the woods yet, but he's doing well."

Vance nodded. "Any idea how long DiNozzo will be out?"

Gibbs hedged. "No, not really."

"You're team is short, Gibbs." Vance reminded him.

"I already have Dorneget filling in for Ziva. Ziva will be back in…three weeks…"

"But not in the field. And then McGee will be taking leave when Mrs. McGee has those twins. You need help, Gibbs. Pick someone before I pick them for you. No one is being replaced. I know that is your concern. We'll deal with DiNozzo when the time comes."

Gibbs sat down. "Well, I guess now is as good as time as any to tell you my thoughts for the team, Leon." He looked down at Jack, who was beginning to stir. He looked back up, smiling to see the look of confusion and alarm on Vance's face.

Tony and Ziva's Home- North Arlington

"You are a very good girl, Karina. Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you." Ziva cooed to her daughter as she bathed her. Karina slapped at the water, playing with her plastic shark that Dorneget had given her.

"Daddy!" Karina laughed and clapped, looking to the door of the bathroom.

Ziva's heart broke. "No, sweetness. Daddy is not home right now. Soon though. He misses and loves you and Jack very much."

"Ja…" Karina gurgled.

Ziva smiled wide. "Yes, Karina. Jack, your baby brother. Aren't you a big girl saying his name so well."

Karina giggled. She let Ziva dry her off and kissed her when she took her in her arms.

She carried her into her bedroom and got her dressed for bed. Jack was still sleeping, so she sat Karina in her lap and read her a book. Karina loved books and Ziva often found her looking at them on her own, even if they were sometimes upside down.

Ziva spent some extra time cuddling with Karina, missing Tony and feeling guilty for leaving her so much lately. Bridget was lying at her feet, watching the door. Ziva knew she was waiting for Tony to come home.

"Soon, Bridget. Daddy will be home soon. Then he will be with you at home for a while. You will like that, won't you?" Bridget looked up with her doggy smile and wagged her tail.

Ziva brushed Karina's hair, marveling at the natural highlights. Karina's eyes were drooping, so tired after her big day at "work". She loved going back to work, and had a good time telling everyone what had been going on. The other babies were amazed that she had a new baby living with her. Karina had held her hands out, as if to say "what can I do about it?"

Kissing her daughter, Ziva gently laid her down in the crib and covered her with a blanket. Winter had lingered longer than usual, even though it was officially spring. They still had some mornings in the thirty degree range, which was absurd.

Ziva was looking forward to warmer weather so she could take Karina and Jack out doors for fresh air, but it would have to wait. She picked up a few errant toys and put them away.

She walked resignedly into the master bedroom, immediately reminded of Tony and that he was not there. She went to the closet and grabbed one of his jerseys and put it on. Drinking in his fragrance…eau DiNozzo Tony jokingly called it; she lay down on his side of the bed, clutching his pillow to her chest.

Walter Reed

Ziva and Gibbs waiting anxiously as Brad and his team were weaning Tony off of the sedation. So far, he had been doing well and did not need additional pulmonary support as he became more awake.

After talking to Ziva, and explaining the risks, they decided to extubate Tony and put him on a nasal cannula. Once they were done, she and Gibbs were allowed to go back into the room.

The difference was night and day, and Ziva had to work hard to keep from crying. Now Tony just looked like he was sleeping, instead of being critically ill. Brad jotted some things in Tony's chart.

"We've dialed down the meds, so he could start waking up within the hour. We'll keep an eye on him to make sure he can manage breathing on his own while he is awake and possibly agitated. His pain level will also make a difference."

"I guess he hasn't really been feeling pain at this point, has he Brad?" Gibbs asked.

He shook his head. "No, he's been out like a light. So pain could be a factor." Brad acknowledged.

Ziva nodded and took her usual seat, holding his hand. Gibbs settled into the other chair with a cup of coffee and a magazine.

About an hour and a half later, Tony moaned a little bit. Ziva and Gibbs both sat up straight. Ziva quickly grabbed the nurse's call bell to let them know that he was waking up.

Brad showed up about fifteen minutes later. By this time, Tony's eyelids were slowly opening and closing, but he wasn't quite awake yet.

"He's coming around. Vitals look good, oxygenation is good." Brad checked the monitors.

"Ziva?" Tony's voice croaked out, so soft she almost didn't hear it.

"Yes, Tony I am here. You are fine. Gibbs is here." Ziva stroked his forehead soothingly.

Tony's eyes opened wide. He looked at Ziva, then Gibbs, then back to Ziva. "I am so sorry." He whispered.

Ziva kissed him, letting her tears fall on his cheeks. "It was not your fault, Tony. All we care about is that you are going to be ok."

Tony held onto Ziva, scared now that he remembered what happened. He looked around, taking in the monitors and his cast. "My chest hurts." He said, worried.

Ziva looked at Brad in alarm. "Hey, Tony. Does it hurt to breathe or does it hurt like you are banged up?"

Tony looked startled when he saw Brad. "Dr. Brad Pitt? Oh, no it's bad isn't it?" He looked at Gibbs.

"Tony, they called me because I treated you before. You remember being hit by the car?"

Tony nodded yes, keeping his eyes on Brad as he explained what was going on.

"Ok, good. Colliding with the car caused an injury to your left lung; you had some bleeding and difficulty breathing. We decided to put you under sedation and put a breathing tube in to give your lungs a rest. We also had to put in a chest tube to drain the blood, but we took that out yesterday. And as you can tell, you are no longer on the ventilator."

Tony looked back and forth between Brad and Ziva. "Yesterday? How long have I been here?"

"This is day three counting when you came in, Tony." Gibbs answered.

Tony closed his eyes, shocked that he had been out for so long. "Ziva, the kids…"

"They are fine. They miss their daddy." She smiled softly, stroking his hair.

"How's the breathing, Tony?" Brad asked, as he listened to his lungs with his stethoscope.

Tony considered the question. "Well, my throat is killing me. And my left side hurts, but it's not unbearable. Ok, I guess, considering I am just laying here doing nothing."

Brad chuckled at that. "Understood. We'll sit you up on the side of the bed tonight. If you tolerate that ok, we can look at sitting in a chair and walking tomorrow."

"When can I go home? Tony blurted out, grimacing at the pain in his throat.

Aw, poor Tony. Thanks for embracing this storyline. This is going to bring all sorts of changes for the team. Stay tuned!