Author's Note:
Thank you for all the reviews and your patience.
I really appreciated it and I'm truly sorry for the long delay in updating.
Here's the next chapter. Enjoy and review soon…. Thank you!
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Gibbs shook with exhaustion, pain and fever. His doctor looked at him, disapproval written across his face.
"Your fever's spiking at 103 degrees." The doctor stated.
"So do something about it." Tony growled.
"How's Ziva?" Gibbs asked.
"She's in surgery to repair the tear in her side." A nurse said.
"Oh God!" Gibbs gasped, fear for Ziva overwhelming him.
"She's going to be okay Boss." Tony said placing a hand on Gibbs' shoulder.
"You can't be in here." A nurse said pulling Tony by the arm a moment late.
Tony jerked out of her hold.
"I'm staying."
The doctor nodded indicating that the nurse leave Tony be.
"Let's have a look at what damage you've done." The doctor said.
Using a pair of blunt tipped scissors, he cut the dressing around Gibbs wounds away.
A putrid smell filled the cubicle as the dressing was removed.
Gibbs knew that it was bad, especially when Tony's faced turned ashen grey. But he didn't care just then. All he cared about was Ziva.
She wasn't shot so why is she in surgery?
Was she shot?
Did Ducky lie to me?
No! She wasn't shot!
She wasn't. She has to pull through!
My love has to pull through…
The flesh around Gibbs' wound was a sick yellow with pus oozing out of miniscule pores. Blood also moved under the swollen skin and instead of bright red, it was a purplish brown.
"Prep an OR, Sasha." The doctor said before turning back to Gibbs.
"Agent Gibbs, we're taking you into surgery to drain the muck that's clogging up this wound." The doctor continued.
Tony swallowed convulsively trying to keep the bile at bay as well as his fear under control.
"We're also starting you on an aggressive course of antibiotics and a blood purifier." The doctor stated as a nurse held onto Gibbs' arm and started an IV line.
The moment the IV was in, Gibbs started feeling drowsy.
He looked at Tony and whispered, "Ziva."
"I'll stay with her until you're out." Tony promised as Gibbs' eyes closed.
"How bad is it?" Tony asked the doctor as Gibbs was wheeled to the OR.
"It's bad." The doctor replied leaving Tony to digest this.
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Back at NCIS head quarters, McGee looked up as Jenny came to stand in front of his desk. She radiated wave after wave of tension.
"Mam, I've traced the vehicle. It is a rental. I've put out a BOLO on it and …." McGee was interrupted as his phone started ringing.
"Agent McGee"
"Okay, approach with caution."
"Ahem, yes."
"We'll be waiting. Thank you"
"Who was that?" Jenny asked.
"That was dispatch clerk of the Local Leo's. They have the vehicle in their sights and they're about to intercept and arrest the driver."
"Good. Let me know when his brought in. I'm going to interrogate him myself." Jenny growled as she stormed off back to her office.
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Out on the highway near the airport, 3 police squad cars surrounded the rental vehicle.
"Get out of your vehicle with your hands up in the air."
"What, hey, what is this about?" A man gasped.
"Just to as you're told." Another officer ordered.
As the man stepped out, another officer growled, "On the ground, face down and keep those hands where I can see them."
Within moments the man was arrested, thrown into the back of a squad car and rushed off to NCIS head quarters.
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"Where are they?" Abby asked racing into the OR waiting room.
"They're in surgery." Tony said.
He paced the room like a caged lion. Neither Fornell nor Ducky could get him to relax.
"Oh no!" Abby moaned collapsing into Ducky's arms.
"There, there Dear. They will pull through this." Ducky said.
Tony took a seat next to Abby and drew her into his arms.
A few moments later Tony's phone rang.
"How are they?" Jenny asked.
"In surgery." Tony replied, standing up and moving to the far end of the waiting room.
"Call as soon as they're out."
"Will do, any news on the bastard?"
"He's being brought in as we speak."
"Good." Tony felt some of the tension leave his shoulders for the first time that day.
"Has Jimmy got anything on the autopsies?" Tony asked.
"Not much other then COD. He needs Abby to run tox screens and DNA analysis. McGee's running their prints through AFIS and Interpol." Jenny replied.
"You want me to come in to interrogate the…"
"No, I want that pleasure all for myself. I want you to stay near Gibbs and Ziva. The news report about their deaths has gone out but I don't want to risk them getting hurt again if someone doesn't believe the news story. Oh, send Abby back to the lab once she's seen Gibbs and Ziva." Jenny stated.
"Alright." Tony replied before hanging up.
Sitting down he took Abby back into his arms. They waited for what seemed to be hours but in reality was only 45 minutes.
"Officer David's colleagues?" a nurse enquired.
"Yes." Ducky replied.
"How is she?" Tony asked.
"She is out of surgery and she is going to be fine. We're moving her to Ward A10. You may see her in a few moments." The nurse smiled.
"Thank you. Ahem, do you have any news on Agent Gibbs?" Ducky asked.
"I'll check on him and get back to you." The nurse said before leaving the room.
Ten minutes later Tony stood next to Ziva's bed. As he took her hand into his, she opened her eyes.
"Tony?"
"How're you feeling?" Tony asked.
"Groggy." Ziva whispered her eyes drifting close.
"Sleep, Ziva." Tony said placing her hand back on the bed.
As his fingers slipped through hers she grasped his hand tightly.
"Ziva?"
"Gibbs, where … is … he?" Ziva gasped.
Tony debated whether he should tell her.
"Don't … lie to… me." Ziva warned.
"He's in surgery. He's leg is festering and the doctors want to drain out as much of the infection as they can." Tony said.
Ziva closed her eyes and let silent tears run down the side of her face.
"Ziva, he's going to pull through this." Tony said, trying to convince himself as much as her.
Tony remained at Ziva's side, his hand in hers, until she drifted off to sleep.
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In the OR Dr Morrison looked more closely into the open wounds on Agent Gibbs' leg. Now that most of the pus and infected blood had been drained, he decided to look more closely at the muscle and surrounding fatty tissue. It made no sense to him why the infection was this bad.
"Damn it." Dr Morrison swore.
"I see it." Dr Swan said.
"Tweezers!"
"Be careful, John." Dr Swan warned as a nurse irrigated the area.
"I almost have it."
"How did those Brazilian doctors miss this?" Dr Swan wondered out loud.
"Got it." Dr Morrison sighed as he pulled a rusted, jagged piece of metal out of Gibbs' leg.
"Well done, John. Let's close him up and get those meds and fluids going. I want him in the ICU for the next 24 hours. If he develops any other symptoms notify me immediately." Dr Swan said, leaving the OR.
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Author's Note:
That's if for this chapter.
Stay tuned for the next…. And Review Soon.