Ziva struggled to keep her hand steady as she signed her release papers in spite of the fervent recommendations of the hospital staff. She smiled, assured them she was quite well and walked out under her own power with the minor aid of Dmitri's Walther P99 pressing into her back. Her leg was on fire, but she walked without a limp. Her stomach was twisted into knots, but she did not cringe. Her head was heavy, but she held it high.
It was for Tony.
Even for him, she could only be so strong. The entire charade collapsed as she crumpled into the back seat of a waiting car. Dmitri slipped in next to her and nodded to Juan in the driver's seat. "Very well done, my princess. Had I know how eager you are to see your American, I would have found a place where I could keep you apart longer. C'est la vie." He laughed and wrapped an arm around her. She didn't have the energy to push it off.
She barely had the energy to think. Her body cried out in protest with each bump in the road. Fortunately, the drive to the marina was not long. Dmitri prevented her from grasping the door handle when they stopped at the end of a long pier. "I only ask that you forget all your English while I am conversing."
He rolled down the window and waved his hand. A fat man in a red Hawaiian shirt bustled to the window. "Hey, Greg! I was beginnin' to think you weren't gonna show!"
"Yes, I am quite sorry for my tardiness. It took longer than we thought for my wife to be discharged."
The fat man leaned into the window. "Hey, pretty lady. Lookin' forward to a fantastic voyage?"
Rather than correcting him about the nature of Fantastic Voyage, which she had watched with Tony at some point, she smiled and inclined her head. If they were moving to another island, her call to Moussad was temporarily worthless. She forced the smile to stay plastered on her face. Dmitri slipped an arm around her, allowing his hand to encircle the back of her neck. "I am afraid my wife does not speak English. She makes up for it in other ways though."
"Heh. I'll bet. She's lookin' pretty hot even with the bandage."
"Yes, the bandage. I am afraid that she will not be able to accompany us and I do not wish to leave her alone while she is ailing. However, I do feel bad about inviting you out on my boat only to have to retract the invitation so abruptly."
"Oh. I'd say another day then, but I'm gonna be gone in two days. I guess the wife and I can find somethin' to do instead." His feet scuffling the ground were audible inside the car. "It was a real nice offer, Greg."
"No, no. We have spent some time conversing and I believe you to be an honest man. I believe you told me you have experience piloting a boat?"
"Holy…are you shittin' me?"
"Not at all. Go out for the day and enjoy yourselves." Dmitri handed a set of keys through the window. "My driver will return for the keys at around six."
"Oh, man. You're a hell of a guy. The missus and I will have your boat back and in perfect condition at six on the dot. Oh, this kinda stuff never happens to me!"
"Yes, well…have a good time."
Ten minutes of obese toadying later, they drove away from the marina. Ziva was finding it difficult to maintain her focus, but couldn't resist a barb. "You couldn't find a less obvious mark?"
"Yes, the fat man was an exceedingly easy target. Tom Mangum and his wife will be quite shocked when boarded by armed officers, I think. The authorities will be even more surprised when they find out he got the boat from Grigory Selfin. I know the phrase is 'red herring,' but I believe he qualifies as a red whale."
He laughed, but something he had said made Ziva reconsider the fat man. "Tom Mangum? Don't you find it demeaning to exploit such unassuming victims? You used to prefer a challenge."
"And you used to beg me to fuck you again and again. Let us not rehash the past."
They turned away from each other, riding in silence. She tried to pay attention to the route they followed, but the pain made it nearly impossible. It was all going to be over soon, she reminded herself. At some point during the drive, Dmitri removed one of the syringes they had given her at the hospital. She groped weakly for the pain medication. "Please…"
"My poor princess." He ripped open a small pouch and the smell of alcohol filled the car. He rubbed a cold, wet patch on her arm and injected her. She started to feel better almost immediately and her head dropped onto his shoulder. She wasn't sure if he kissed her forehead as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Tony paced back and forth along the wall of the tiger enclosure, approaching the gate and retreating from it. Approaching and retreating. Juan had left to pick up Ziva and Tushkevich at the hospital over an hour ago. There was no way it would take that long for the roundtrip. He comforted himself with the thought that Juan had left early to make sure he got there in time. Or, even better, that Moussad or NCIS or Interpol or the Boy Scouts had rescued Ziva at the hospital and taken down Tushkevich in the process.
The sound of scraping metal in the hall drew him back to the gate. Juan was dragging a cot toward it. "She's here? Is she here? Is she okay?"
Juan shook his head faintly and made a gesture for Tony to move back as he removed the keys to the gate from his pocket. "Away."
"I believe he wants you to back up, Agent DiNozzo." Tushkevich stood behind Juan, holding an unconscious Ziva in his arms. "I suggest you do it, unless…"
Tony held up his hands, backing toward the far wall. "Whatever you say. Don't hurt her."
While Juan set up the cot in the corner, Tony carefully watched Ziva as Tushkevich gently rocked her back and forth. "She's still unconscious?"
"Painkillers. She will be awake shortly." He entered the enclosure and carried her to the cot, setting her down carefully. "When she does wake, be sure she does not move around too much. She is to rest until I deliver her to Hamas."
Tony fought the urge to charge Tushkevich and confined himself to angry shouting. "You can't do that! They'll kill her!"
"Perhaps. Do you think Director David would pay a ransom? Even if he would, Israel would never allow it. Politics are not my place, though." He followed Juan out and clanged the gate closed, tugging it to make sure it was locked.
Tony sprinted to the cot, checking Ziva over. Her pulse and respiration were steady and she didn't feel hot to the touch as she had the last time he'd seen her. She had numerous bandages on her arms and a large one on her head concealing stitches. He lifted her shirt and saw a bandage covering what he assumed was the surgical site. He decided to forget about her leg until she woke up. He leaned closed to her face, whispering, "I know it's probably selfish, because you should still be in the hospital, but I'm glad you're here. You had me worried, babe. You wake up when you feel up to it, okay?"
"Not to interrupt your happy reunion, but I need your advice on a small matter, Agent DiNozzo."
Tony turned to see that Tushkevich was still standing at the gate. "What?" he spat, remaining close to Ziva.
"Hm. I am afraid that turning Ziva over to Hamas is non-negotiable, but there is some information that I may or may not share with them. Tell me, did you know Ari Haswari?"
"Yeah, but he's a worthless bargaining chip. Hamas knew Ari was Director David's son, so it's not like they're too dumb to figure out he was also Ziva's half-brother."
"I am more interested in how you think they will feel when they discover that Ziva was the one who killed him."
Tony momentarily flashed back to the Israeli Embassy in Paris – Abraham thanking Gibbs for doing what he could never order Ziva to do. And Gibbs… Shaking his head, Tony stood and walked to the gate to look Tushkevich in the eye. "Gibbs shot Ari," he stated firmly.
"I am afraid he did not. You did not know?" Tushkevich's incredulous grin was sickening. He continued gleefully, "Trust is such a valuable commodity in relationships, Agent DiNozzo. I trust you and Ziva will have quite a bit to discuss when she wakes." He walked away laughing.
Tony moved slowly back to Ziva's bedside, sinking to the floor beside it. Ari had killed Kate, but for Ziva to have killed Ari? Something told him it was true, no matter how awful it sounded. He covered her hand with his own, noticing that the rings had disappeared. "This self-torture has got to stop, Ziva." He reached into his pocket and settled his back against the wall. The diamond glittered in the bright light. "I don't even wanna think about the talk we have to have before you get this." He looked at her and made a quick correction, "Before I ask you if you want it, I mean."