I wasn't sure until recently (I've only just begun watching the thirteenth season) if Ellie had been read in about the Hernandez case. Happily, she hasn't, at least by this time. And really, I have got to cut down on the number of people in that hospital! I know it's way too many, even if Ducky's called in every favor he's ever been owed. So, the husband and wife are getting a bit of a night on the town, while everyone else waits for word on Tony.

Gibbs hung back as Tony was rolled to the operating room. This was a private moment between him and Ziva and he had no more right than anyone else on the team to be a part of it. Once Tony was gone, Ziva turned back to them, a haunted look on her face. The doctors had gone into great detail during the afternoon about the procedure and seemed confident that there should be no complications. But Gibbs could tell Ziva wasn't as sure.

It wasn't unexpected. The woman had endured so much loss, especially in the last year. Her father's death, the betrayal of a family friend, an attack on her that he still wasn't entirely clear about, and now throwing in the injuries to Tony and her own pregnancy, with the accompanying hormones, and he could understand she was a wreck.

He realized that was why she had come to him first. Over the last few years, she, more than anyone else on his team, looked up to him as a child to a father. It should have made him uncomfortable, but there was something about Ziva...he had allowed it. He had warned Eli David off of her when after she had been rescued by them. It was he that played bad cop and allowed Leon to take the hit from the Mossad director when he'd been told of Gibbs' warning. It was he who had signed off on her officially becoming an NCIS agent.

They were all her family now, one more than most. He usually would never have approved of two of his people getting involved with one another, but he turned a blind eye away from the two of them. It was almost inevitable. But the curveball had come in Tony's shooting. And that was when it had finally hit him.

Tony had been shot, badly. There was a minute there where Tony had stopped breathing, but Gibbs wouldn't allow it. He hadn't even made sure the shooter was dead himself, although he was fairly confident of the fact. But he'd begun as much first aid as he could until the ambulance arrived. He talked to Tony, he'd sworn at the younger man, and then Gibbs told him Ziva was back, and pregnant. For sure, Tony hadn't heard the last part, by the reaction to the news he had displayed when he'd finally woken up.

"Hey, Ziva, you heard the doctors. You heard DiNozzo," he tried to comfort her with. He'd never been a great optimist, a great cheerleader, but he felt he had to try for her sake.

She closed her eyes and, in shaky voice, said, "I know, Gibbs." But her words didn't match her outlook.

Abby walked over to her and tried to console her more, but Ziva seemed lost in the whirl of everything. It was even bringing down Abby, as hard as that usually was.

"She near a breaking point, Jethro," Ducky observed.

He wanted to make a comment about the obviousness of that, but held his tongue. "What can we do for her?" he asked instead.

"Only hope that the surgery isn't long and there are no complications. She need to see for herself that Anthony will be alright. Ziva has lost too much to not think the most dire of thoughts," the older man explained.

As if to confirm that, Ziva got up. "I know...I know all of you mean well and I thank you for that, but...I need to be alone, please," she said to them. She walked away without saying anything further and without telling them where she was headed.

Once she was away, Gibbs pulled out his phone. He knew Ziva needed help, and not any of their well-meaning type. She needed a professional, one that had both attachment and detachment to the situation. The conversation was short, but the person on the other end assured him they would be there soon.

It was some time later when Gibbs looked up to see Leon Vance walk up to where they were all sitting with what looked like a basket in his arms. He saw the other man's eyes scan the area, looking for someone in particular. "DiNozzo's in surgery?" he ask.

Gibbs stood up and nodded. "They took him about forty-five minutes ago," he replied.

"And David?"

It was Ducky who answered. "Ziva...this is all so much for her, so she asked to be alone for a while."

Leon looked concerned, but Gibbs shook his head once as he moved closer. "Help is coming for her," was all he said, but Vance got the meaning.

"I thought I should join all of you here. And Kayla and Jared sent along a get-well package," he said to the team. Gibbs smiled. It was a basket of candy, stuff you'd find at a movie theater concession stand. Leon followed his gaze. "SecNav wanted to send flowers, but I told her movies would be better for him. When I called Kayla to tell her I'd be up here, she asked me to bring him something from her and her brother. I felt this would be a good accompaniment."

"They're good kids, Leon," Jethro told him.

"Well, they remembered when they were under the protection detail of DiNozzo and David. Jared said he was just a big kid himself," Leon explained with a smile. Then he grew serious. "I have had a talk with SecNav about her."

"Yeah, I figured."

"If she does come back, I won't put her in the field, no matter the stage, but at the same time I can't see her doing nothing. And that goes with when the baby is born," he went on. ""Let's call it a consultancy position. Can even be done from home, if she wants. But now, with the comment Dr. Mallard made…"

"Leon, let's not jump the gun. She's afraid, even if it makes little sense to us. Let's just make sure DiNozzo's alright," Gibbs replied. "And if he's not, I'll kill him." But Gibbs knew it wouldn't come to that.

Again, Vance nodded. Then, Gibbs' attention was drawn away from the director to approaching footsteps. Ellie Bishop and Jake Malloy approached, both dressed up nicely, "Hey, we thought we'd stop by before going out to dinner," she said.

"How is Tony?" the husband asked.

"In surgery now," Gibb answered, eyeing the two of them up.

He could see the sheepish expression on both Bishop and Malloy's faces. It was he who explained. "I was telling a colleague about Tony's shooting and that we'd be up here. He recommended a restaurant in the city."

"And I thought...well, we'd make a night of it, come back in the morning to check on him," Ellie continued. Then she turned to her husband. "It's just, since the shooting me and…"

"No need to explain. It's a good idea," Gibbs interrupted. He had a feeling Jake was becoming a little put-off by the lack of time the probationary agent was spending with him as it was. "Enjoy yourselves. We'll call you if anything changes."

She nodded and they moved on to Abby, McGee and Delilah, who were huddled closer to the doors to the operating unit. After a few minutes, they said their final goodbyes and departed. Once they were gone, McGee came over.

"You didn't say anything to her about our theory?" he asked.

Gibbs' shook his head. "Not the time. Didn't want to ruin their night. Besides, there are still things she doesn't know. And I don't think it's a great idea saying them in front of a lawyer."

"Theory?" Leon caught the conversation and was back in business mode. "What have you got?"

McGee looked at his boss and was about to answer then Gibbs took over. "It's still not firm, but this feels like the Brotherhood. They're MO is to be contracted out by others."

"And those others being?"

Now, Gibbs looked to McGee. He understood. "Abby's friend said facial recognition made a match. The shooter was Juan Miguel de los Santos Hernandez." With the last name, Vance's eyes widened to which McGee nodded to the unspoken question. "Yes, it does look like that."

"It wouldn't surprise me." That was all Gibbs could say.

Vance let out a long breath. "I thought we got them all. Damn, I have to let the FBI know about this."

"Yeah, you do," Gibbs agreed, if somewhat reluctantly. Vance put the basket down on a table and moved off, pulling out his phone. Before he wandered off too far, he called to his boss. "Just tell Fornell I won't shoot him in the ass this time."

The director smiled as he spoke into him phone. He walked off a little further when Gibbs saw another person come in their direction. "Hey, Doc, thanks for coming."

"Any time, Gibbs, you know that," Dr. Rachel Cranston said. "So, who do I need to talk to?"