Disclaimer: The show NCIS and its characters do not belong to me. They are the property of Donald Bellisario, CBS, Paramount and whomever else I may have omitted.

A/N Thank you everyone for your reviews and comments they are really appreciated. As previously stated work is very busy but I am determined to finish this story as soon as possible.

Chapter Seven

(1)

'Kate Todd, Timothy McGee,' Gibbs introduced the pair. 'Kate, McGee this is Vince Jackson. '

'Pleased to meet you both,' Jackson nodded before turning back to Gibbs. 'So fill me in from the beginning boss. What happened to Tony and what do we have so far'

With his usual economy of words Gibbs filled Vince in on how Tony had been injured and where they were on the case so far.

'Boss it seems like you've got a whole lot of nothing except an ever rising body count.'

'And an injured Agent,' Gibbs gritted his teeth together.

'It wasn't your fault boss,' Vince told him, Gibbs nodding but the look on his face saying otherwise. 'Look Gibbs, DiNozzo should have kicked down your door instead of simply leaving a message and going solo.'

'You know as well as I do that he does some of his best work solo,' Gibbs sighed. 'No I should have been there for him. And if he thought for one moment that he could be in danger he'd never have gone alone.'

Vince simply shrugged, he wasn't going to argue. 'Okay,' he walked to Tony's desk. 'I'm assuming that this is my cubicle for the time. Don't think old Simon will be back in a hurry.'

'Hope not,' McGee and Kate said in unison.

'That bad hey,' Jackson chuckled. 'So what do we have?' He looked across at the pair.

'Well,' McGee with his usual enthusiasm. 'We have three suspects for the father of Lieutenant Johnson's child.'

'What about the actual robberies,' Jackson asked. 'How do Cottell and,' he consulted the notes. 'Collins fit in there.'

'From what we can gather they were the boundary riders,' Gibbs spoke up. 'They stumbled over Tony staking out the store and the rest was history.'

Vince nodded. 'They died because they didn't kill DiNozzo. Cottell was too consumed by his desire to see Tony die a slow death like his brother to do the job properly. Therefore the fact that Tony didn't die meant that he could name those who attacked him.'

'He did name them,' Kate told him. 'He woke up long enough to say Brad Cott; I looked at his and your case notes and came up with the name Braden Cottell. I knew it had to be the same person considering the history.'

'Well like I said Tony DiNozzo is one tough cookie, and a real fighter,' he turned his attention to Gibbs. 'Any chance that he knows more then who attacked him, I mean we don't know what Johnson told him and she's dead and he's not talking to anyone at the moment. It's possible that he might have more information then we possibly realise.'

'We're hopeful of that but not confident,' Gibbs muttered. 'As I said I didn't take his call and he didn't have time to impart the exact information that the Lieutenant gave to him.'

'Okay well let's start reading between the lines here,' Vince announced.

'Good,' Gibbs nodded. 'Kate you're with me.'

'Where are we going?'

'I'll fill you in on the way,' he grabbed his coat then turned to McGee. 'Don't look so nervous McGee. Vince has never bitten anyone and you'll learn a lot from him.'

'Yes boss, err Gibbs, Special Agent Gibbs,' he stammered still not really sure what he should call his superior.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes. 'Boss is fine,' he told the young agent as he and Kate headed for the elevator.

'So where are we going?' Kate asked again.

'The hospital.'

Kate nodded. 'You think Tony may have woken up? Wouldn't they have called if he had?''

'No I don't think he's awake yet but I do believe he's in grave danger Kate.'

'But there is a guard on his door.'

'I still think that he's in danger.

Kate didn't argue, she'd come to appreciate that Gibbs knew things way before anyone else picked up on them and he continually amazed her when he made correct announcements about things that it seem impossible he'd know about. That said she was suddenly scared for Tony, he was in no state to defend himself in his current condition and if what Gibbs was suggesting was true then, no she didn't even want to think about that.

'Kate! Come on.' She hadn't realised that she'd lagged behind slightly and she quickened her pace to catch up with him.

(2)

Gibbs strode down the corridor towards Tony's room, everything looked normal, the guard was still on the door but something told this ex marine that everything was far from situation normal. Kate kept up with his urgent pace although she literally had to run to do so.

'Special Agent Gibbs, Special Agent Todd,' the man guarding the door greeted them. 'Special Agent DiNozzo has a visitor at the moment.'

'Who is it?' Gibbs hand automatically went towards his weapon.

'His mother,' the marine smiled. 'Go figure it, after all is said and done blood is thicker...' he gaped as Gibbs pushed past him, Kate right on his heels her own weapon half way drawn. She trusted her boss' instinct and she knew from Gibbs' reaction that who ever this woman was she wasn't who she claimed to be.

She stood near the head of Tony's bed, she had her back to them and while she was gently running a hand through his hair and talking to him soothingly like a mother would do with a sick or injured child it was what she held in her other hand, a syringe with God only knew what poison that she was about to inject into Tony's arm that proved to Kate that Gibbs had some sort of sixth sense or was it just an amazing instinct for knowing when things weren't right.

'Drop it now,' Gibbs barked giving her one chance to surrender although he was already applying pressure to the trigger. 'RIGHT NOW!' his tone deadly, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He wanted to take her alive if possible

The woman acted as if she hadn't even heard him although by now she knew the odds were stacked against her. Damn it she'd failed in her assignment and her options were pretty much zero for behind her there were two Special Agents and a Marine all ready to shoot her. Well at least she could take DiNozzo out with her; at least she could silence this bastard who knew too much.

'Too late Gibbs,' she said half turned to face him, the syringe pressed against the Tony's skin, all she need to do was apply pressure and inject into the vein and it would be goodbye DiNozzo.

The sound of a single gunshot roared throughout the entire floor of the hospital, the woman slumping to the ground, the syringe falling harmlessly from her grasp to the floor as her other hand went to her injured and bleeding arm.

'Nice shot,' the Marine at the door nodded, he too would have fired but Kate had signalled him to hold, such was her complete confidence in Gibbs and his ability to protect their injured colleague.

With quick strides, Gibbs went to Tony, checked the still unconscious man for any sign of needle stick injuries, relieved when he found the skin on the younger mans arm unbroken, then he bent down, scooped up the syringe so the woman couldn't take her own life with it then walked to the door of the hospital room, calling for a doctor to attend to the injured woman who was sitting on the ground cursing wildly, using every swear word in the English language, most of what she was saying questioned both Gibbs and Tony's parentage.

'Would you shut up this is a hospital.' Kate told her as several very frightened staff slowly appeared from various hiding places as they realised that they had not been the ones under attack although one very angry hospital director was demanding to know why a firearm had been discharged in his hospital.

'Because someone was trying to kill Agent DiNozzo by injecting something designed to kill him into his vein, he stepped aside as a doctor came racing into the room and immediately started to work on the injured woman who told him where to go in no uncertain terms.

'I have to get her to surgery. We need to stop the bleeding,' the doctor told him.

'Just get her out of my sight,' Gibbs growled. "But she's under arrest and we want to question her about her involvement in all this,' he watched as they put the still cursing patient into a wheelchair and wheeled her out of the room. When she was gone and he and Kate were alone Gibbs looked across at Tony not overly surprised when younger man started to stir, his eyes opening, a frown creasing his brow at the sight of Gibbs, Kate and a Marine standing in the doorway of his room.

'DiNozzo,' Gibbs went to his side. 'About time you woke up.'

'Yeah,' Tony managed to gasp through a raw throat; the tubes had been removed now that he was able to breath on his own. 'What happened boss?'

'Oh just a little bit of excitement. You rest up all right'.

'Cottell,' Tony glanced from Gibbs to Kate who had joined their boss by his bedside.

'It's okay Tony it's all under control,' Kate patted his hand. 'We're getting there. Cottell is dead so his cousin Collins. McGee and Jackson are working on it as we speak.

Tony's eyes narrowed and his lips thinned at this news Gibbs didn't miss the look in the younger man's eyes and he turned to one of the hospital staff. 'I want a pen and paper,' he turned back to Tony. 'Don't try to talk, write it down okay. Whatever you have to tell us write it down.'

Tony nodded He had to tell Gibbs, he had to tell him what he'd heard Collins and Cottell say before lost consciousness and he wasn't really surprised that his attackers were dead. The fact that they hadn't killed him outright, plus what he'd heard them say as they left him there to die, together with the information that Anita had given him. Anita! Had she gotten away or had they gotten to her too?

'An,' he husked but Gibbs shook his head.

'DiNozzo I know it's an impossible ask but lay there and shut up for just a minute.'

'Sir here is the pen and pad that you wanted.' A pretty nurse returned and handed him the items he'd requested.

'Thank you,' Gibbs took them from her and walked to Tony's beside. 'Here,' he pressed the note pad into his hands. 'Now what do you want to ask and what is it you need to tell us,' he motioned to Kate who pulled up a chair and the pair waited as DiNozzo shakily wrote down his first question before turning it upside down and pushing it back to his boss.

'Anita?' Kate read over his shoulder and wondered what Gibbs was going to say, would he tell the absolute truth.

"I'm sorry Tony she's dead,' he said simply. 'It's not your fault you know. Don't blame yourself.'

Tony nodded then took the notepad back and slowly he started to write down what he had to tell Gibbs. It seemed to take forever for the injured man to get it all down but when he'd finished he handed it back.

Gibbs eyes scanned the slightly scrawled but still legible writing. Occasionally he'd glance from what he was reading to DiNozzo before turning his attention back to what was written down on the pad absorbing all the information that was being presented to him.

'Good work,' he told the injured man several minutes later, the look on Tony's face at the compliment priceless. 'Come on Kate,' he stood to leave.

'I'll come back later,' Kate lent over and promised Tony. 'You rest up.'

'Okay,' Tony managed to whisper before closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep

(3)

'Gibbs,' Kate had a look of concern on her face. 'This means that,' she'd been reading what Tony had written over her boss' shoulder.

'We have a rat in the ranks,' the reply was tight. 'But we need more evidence Kate. We have to get more evidence. Besides he doesn't know that we know, that is one thing we have in our favour.

But surely he'll know that his colleague has failed when Tony isn't dead and she doesn't come back.

'Don't worry I have a plan we just need to buy ourselves some time that's all.'

Kate nodded whatever Gibbs had planned she knew he'd already thought it through carefully and she had complete confidence in whatever it was they were about to do.

It was a very sombre Gibbs who called a meeting of everyone at NCIS ten minutes after he and Kate had returned. Jesmond was back in the office and packing up his things but Gibbs told him that he could hear this information as well. Ducky and Abby had been brought up to speed on what was happening before Gibbs and Kate had come up to tell the others. They were among the few who would know the truth about Tony's condition and the fact that he had taken another small step along the road to recovery.

Tension was high in the office as everyone waited for what the boss had to tell them, whatever it was it wasn't going to be good news, even the greenest rookie on the team was aware of that. When everyone was gathered Gibbs cast a look at Kate, then to the rest of the team, took a deep breath then made his grim announcement. 'When Kate and I were at the hospital Special Agent,' he shook his head. 'Tony slipped into a coma; it seems that he was injected with what the doctors at the hospital believe to be a massive dose of insulin administered by a woman posing as his mother. That woman was shot and wounded and is currently under guard in the hospital until she is fit enough for us to talk to her. In addition Tony suffered a seizure and there appears that there could be possible brain damage.' he closed his eyes. We'll be monitoring him for a few days but, he sighed. 'They're not really hopeful of any sort of recovery now. We'll know for sure within forty eight hours,' he glanced around his team for their reactions.

'Damn,' Jackson who was the first to speak out loud muttered. 'So when can we speak to this woman?''

'Hospital will let us know when she can be interviewed. I have to go and see the Director, tell him the news about Tony,' he headed for the elevator leaving one very stunned group of people behind him.

'Okay,' Vince took control of the situation. 'Come on people we still have a case to solve. We owe it to Tony to make sure we get a successful conclusion,' he glanced over and saw Kate talking to McGee and others stood in small hushed groups as they digested the news about their colleague.

'We'll I'm out of here,' Jesmond announced loudly as he headed for the elevator. 'Goodbye people. Sorry but I can't say it's been a pleasure. Oh and see I was right about DiNozzo wasn't I. Told you days ago he wouldn't be coming back.'

Vince saw red at this comment and he went to go after the other agent but Kate put her hand on his arm.

'Let him go Vince, he's not worth.'

Jackson nodded. 'You're right Kate. You're absolutely right,' he turned as Gibbs re entered the office.

'Well why are we all still standing around,' Gibbs bellowed. 'We've got work to do people so let's do it hey.'

(4)

A short while later Gibbs returned to the hospital alone, he'd made no excuses for leaving simply telling his team that he'd be back soon. Kate had nodded knowingly as he'd left before turning back to her assigned task. She would have liked to have gone with him but she was going to go and see Tony later, on her way home, for now though she had to act shell shocked like the rest of them. She had to act as if Tony wasn't coming back.

'Boss,' Tony whispered as Gibbs walked in and sat beside his bed. 'What's up?'

'Stop talking and listen.'

'Right boss,' he saw the look on Gibbs face and made a motion of zipping his lips.

Gibbs quickly filled him in on what was happening, the story that had been told, before asking him if he was totally sure about what he'd written down earlier.

Tony nodded.

Gibbs didn't reply for a moment then, 'Kate is going to sneak over later. She wants to know why you're estranged from your family. I told her a small part, how when you joined the police it was the final straw, however it's up to you if you tell her the rest.'

'She deserves to know,' Tony told him 'I'll tell her when I see her.'

'Not while you're sounding like this you won't. You are not to talk understood.'

'Yes boss.'

'Tony!' Gibbs gave him an exasperated look and this time the younger man simply nodded to show that he understood that what Gibbs had just said wasn't a request, it was an order.