Chapter 28

Tony was watching his life flash before his eyes, the image was grainy and the sound was tinny, like an old 70's memoir reel.

Tony felt that he was looking down upon himself growing up, first he saw his eighth birthday, he saw himself opening his presents, alone within his parent's living room. His father was in Hong Kong attending business, Tony had been alone for several hours, his mother had gone upstairs for a shower, Tony could here the water running.

Tony picked himself and walked up the grand staircase, slowly taking one step at the time. Slowly walking towards the master bedroom, the door creaked open and Tony stumbled in heading towards the en suite.

"Mum?" He called

No response, so he tentatively called again "Mum?"

Tony shakily placed his hand upon the door knob and gently turned, the door swung open and Tony found himself gazing upon a naked heap upon the floor, laying in a pool of blood which was slowly gurgling down the drain.

"Mum!" Tony screamed and he ran towards his mother. He grabbed her body and cradled it to his chest, hot salty tears streaking down his face.

"Mum, this isn't funny!" Tony whispered shaking her lifeless body.

"WAKE UP!" He screamed.

Tony let out a primal howl.

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Ziva David slowly shuffled down the hospital hallway. Around her nurses and doctors which streamed past all seemed to be a blur. Ziva kept her head down and continued to shuffle, she could feel the presence of Gibbs to her right had felt reassured and safe by it.

She was still soaking from the time spent on the roof and was leaving a trail of water down the hall.

As they neared Tony's room her breathing became quickened and her heart rate soared. Ziva took a few deep breaths in order to try and calm herself down before she reached out with her hand and opened the door to Tony's room.

She stepped inside and was immediately confronted with the smell of sterile equipment and machines.

She cast her gaze to the figure which lay motionless in the middle of the bed, tubes were inserted into him from all angles and a machine in the corner slowly pumped up and down forcing artificial air into Tony's lungs.

Tony's skin was pale and drained and the only sound that filled the room was the automated sound of Tony's heart beat.

Ziva's breath caught in her throat, she could feel the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Gibbs once again placed is hand on Ziva's shoulder, guiding her to the chair by Tony's bed. It was only now that she noticed it was occupied by McGee.

McGee silently stood up, nodding towards Gibbs and Ziva, he then silently left, leaving Gibbs and Ziva alone with Tony.

Ziva quickly sat down in the seat and dragged it closer to Tony's unconscious form, she reached out with her hand, enclosing it around Tony's motionless one. She squeezed it lightly, but it had no response.

It was at this moment that Dr Benson walked in carrying a clip board. Both special agents gazes snapped around to meet his.

"Hello Doctor." Ziva whispered and Gibbs nodded.

"Good Morning," The doctor walked towards Tony's bed.

"What's his condition Doc?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, we put him into a drug induced coma which he has not woken up from, the drugs have passed through his system and we can't explain why he has not woken up, we have him booked into an MRI scan later this afternoon, but really it's up to him whether or not he wakes up."

"Why would he not want to wake up?" Ziva choked.

"Well," The doctor replied "Agent DiNozzo has been forced to live through horrific conditions so this could be his body's survival method, to close off and try and protect itself. But Agent DiNozzo's whole life has been turned upside down, because of his injuries I am sure that he will never be able to do field work ever again and it is up to your Director whether or not to keep him on a desk worker, also if he is going to gain any control back over his left arm it is going to be a long, slow and painful jouney using physical therapy and even after all that Agent DiNozzo will never have the same amount of control that he had before. Also from my experiences with previous cases, patients are full of self loathing and self hate. Really its all up to him now."

With this the doctor left, promising to be back in a few hours to check Tony's vitals.

Ziva turned his attention back to Tony, she grasped his hand firmly, praying for some kind of response, but there was none.

"Please Tony," She whispered "Please, come back to me."

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Tony was nine, it was exactly a year since his mothers death, his father had gone out drinking, leaving Tony alone in the house.

Tony heard the front door boom open, and a smash as the ornate oriental vase which was kept near the door crashed to the ground.

Tony stood up and turned around to see his father stagger in, blind drunk.

"It's your fault!" His father screamed, his voice slurring, clumps of salvia flying everywhere.

"Dad?" Tony questioned.

"It's your fault that she's dead!" His father howled, Anthony DiNozzo Senior's hand then connected with Tony's face, sending Tony flying backwards.

Senior then drew back to strike again, "It's your fault!"

"Dad, please stop!" Tony cried, tears running down his face, his voice was hitched as it caught in his throat.

Senior punched him again.

And again,

And again.

Until Tony's face was a mass of twisted, bruised and bloody warped flesh.

"You pushed her and pushed her until its to much! You killed her!" Senior screamed and brought his fist crashing down upon Tony's temple, then everything went black for Anthony DiNozzo Junior.

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Ziva could see Tony's eyes moving beneath his eye lids, she stroked his hand lightly, hoping that whatever he was dreaming about was not a nightmare.

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The images then seemed to speed up for Tony, he saw his life in college, how he lost his scholarship due to a knee injury, then how he went into law enforcement, he saw himself fail to react in time as a scared drug dealer pulled a pistol out of a waist band and shot Tony in the lower back.

Then his time in Baltimore as he slowly worked his way up through the Italian Mafia, being undercover for almost a year and a half before finally busting the group and sending the main leaders to jail.

Then finally his time at NCIS, working under Gibbs, first meeting Kate on Air Force One. Getting the plague, Kate's death, when he first met Ziva and their time undercover as assassins. When Gibbs was caught in an explosion and left more Mexico leaving the team under his command. When Ziva failed to come to him about her trouble with the Iranians, when he first told Jeanne that he loved her, and when he had to tell Jeanne that 'none of it was real'. When he found Jenny dead and when Vance split up the team, when he was stuck on the ship for month upon month.

When he first saw Ziva's face again, when he first learned about Micheal and that fateful night at Ziva's apartment when he shot Rivkin in the chest four times, when Ziva confronted him in Tel Aviv and that long, lonely plane ride home.

The months of thinking that she was dead, seeing no reason to continue living anymore, then when they were in Somailia, the bag was ripped off her head and he found himself gazing into her beautiful brown eyes.

Then to his time in imprisonment under Tzahal, when he first told Ziva that he loved her and he knew that she returned the feelings for him.

The Tony saw his future, a life with Ziva, they would both come home from NCIS headquarters to a large house they shared. A few months later Tony would propose to Ziva and she would accept and they would be wed. Then Tony flash-forward 10 years to when him and Ziva were walking through one of the many parks in D.C, accompanied by two children, a boy and a girl. All four of them were laughing and smiling.

Tony knew this was the future he wanted and he knew the person that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

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Ziva could see Tony's eyes speed up behind his eyelids, and the heart machine in the corner began to beep erratically.

Ziva gripped Tony's hand tighter, trying to assure him sub- consciously that everything was alright.

Then Anthony DiNozzo Junior opened his eyes.