Vigil

Ziva's POV

I still had a hold of Tony's hand when the rest of the team walked in. McGee had his arm wrapped around Abby, who looked as though she's been crying the entire car ride and Jenny was clinging to Gibbs's arm, and Gibbs, well, Gibbs looked like Gibbs.

"How's he doing?" Abby asked, tearing up again as she did.

"The nurse was in a little while ago," I replied wearily. "But other than that, nothing's changed. Gibbs, Dr. Pitt is looking for you."

"Yes, I am," Dr. Pitt said as he walked into the room around Ducky, who was standing in the doorway. "Agent Gibbs," Dr. Pitt said as he stuck out his hand for Gibbs to shake. Gibbs shook his hand and gave a small smile.

"Déjà vu," Gibbs said and Dr. Pitt smiled.

"Yes. I was sorry to hear about Kate," Dr. Pitt said.

"She was a good agent," Gibbs said, clearly not wanting to get onto the subject. I just sat back and watched all of this. Abby came around next to me and sat on the edge of my chair and placed her hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I put my other hand over hers and squeezed back. I knew that I would never take the place in her heart that Kate had filled, but I knew that I had a spot of my own.

Tony's POV

I heard them again, this time it was all of them. I picked out Abby's voice, Ziva's again, Gibbs, Jenny, McGee, and Ducky. I wanted to wake up; my family needed me, but some invisible force was holding me back, keeping me in the darkness. I kept trying to fight it, but I lost my connection and sank back in.

Gibbs's POV

Several hours later…

I sat across the bed from Ziva, keeping watch over Tony. Everyone else had long ago left, promising to come back tomorrow. Jen had said that she was ordering the backup team to take over our case and she was also calling in the backup lab tech so Abby could stay at the hospital during the day.

I watched Ziva closely. She had laid her head down on the bed, much as a student would lay their head onto a desk. She looked peaceful, but every once and a while she would twitch, leading me to believe that she was having a nightmare. I got up from my chair and stretched. Damn hospital chairs were so uncomfortable. I walked around the bed and shook Ziva gently. She jumped awake, her hand on her gun before I could blink.

"Relax, Ziva, it's just me," I said. She did relax and she removed her hand from her gun.

"I'm sorry," she said tiredly while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Why don't you go get coffee or something?" I asked. She glanced at Tony, worry etched on her face. "Don't worry," I said, rubbing her shoulder slightly. "I'll call you if something happens."

"Thank you, Gibbs," Ziva said. I squeezed her hand and then she left, pausing at the door to look back. After she had left I returned to my chair and I took Tony's hand in my own. I had always thought of Tony to be like a son to me, even if I had never told him.

"DiNozzo, why do always pull stunts like this?' I asked quietly. "Do you think that you don't get enough attention or what? Because you know what, you have to wake up because I didn't give you permission to be in a coma anyway." I paused to smack his head lightly. "Tony, you can't do this. Do you know what it would do to Abby is you died? Or how about Ziva? She loves you, you know. If you wake up, I'll give you permission to break rule number 12, because I know you love her too."

McGee's POV

Abby had asked me to come home with her so I did. She needed someone and since Gibbs was staying with Tony I stayed with her. I was dressed in a pair of sweats that I had left at her house a long time ago and she was curled next to me on the bed in a nightgown. She had huddled close to me and cried herself to sleep. She was taking this hard. I knew that she considered Tony to be like her big brother and I didn't know what would happen if she lost him. Losing Kate had been hard enough on her, but Tony, her whole world might fall apart.

Kate's POV

I watched as Tony once again struggled against the blackness. I didn't let him go. Not yet, there were things that he needed to know, but I didn't want to reveal myself just yet.

Ziva's POV

I was just outside the door when I heard Gibbs talking to Tony.

"Or how about Ziva? She loves you, you know. If you wake up, I'll give you permission to break rule number 12, because I know you love her too," Gibbs said. I stood there, stunned. Gibbs knew everything, so what he was saying must be true. Tony loved me? Impossible! He never acted like it; he always brushed my advances off. I waited a few more seconds and then entered the room. I handed Gibbs the cup of coffee that I had gotten him and I then I retreated to my chair with my coffee in hand. I curled into the chair and sipped my coffee, willing the hot liquid to make all of my worries go away.

"When did you know?' Gibbs asked me all of the sudden.

"Know what?" I asked, momentarily taken aback by the question.

"When you were in love with him," Gibbs said. I sighed.

"When we were undercover, he asked me to give him a back massage and it felt so right," I said. Gibbs nodded.

"Why didn't you ever act on it?" Gibbs asked me. A small smile escaped my lips.

"Rule number 12," I replied simply.

Tony's POV

I heard their voices again, Gibbs and Ziva's. This game was getting old. I wanted so desperately to wake up, but something was holding me back. Just then a vision swam before my eyes. It was Kate.

"Hello, Tony."

A/N: So, tell me what you thought. Don't forget that anything to do with Kate is in italics.