Thanks for all the reviews. Wow, you folks are bloodthirsty! ;) Regarding the liver probe issue - I plead dramatic license. I wanted Tony, and the readers, to see how everyone would react if he were killed without actually killing him (been there, done that). I wanted a dramatic - 'he's not dead!" moment. And remember, Tony's lying there with his eyes open and pupils dilated, looking remarkably like Kate - sans the bullet hole in the forehead and pool of blood under his head. Gibbs is human, after all. For future reference, the medical aspects of this story are minimally researched. If I couldn't find something that produced exactly what I wanted, I improvised. I'm not The Discovery Health Channel... although I did get an idea for Maiden Voyage from a show one day.

Chapter Two

The two men sit quietly, watching the figure on the bed. There are tubes and wires attached to the pale body, administering fluid and oxygen. The monitors are beeping steadily.

"I could have killed him, Jethro," Ducky's voice is low.

"You didn't, Ducky," Gibbs said firmly. "You heard the heartbeat. You saved his life."

"I stabbed him in the stomach," Ducky argued. "If his heart hadn't been beating so slowly he could have bled out. And if that didn't kill him, I almost cut him open and removed his internal organs."

"But you didn't," Gibbs said, looking the distraught man in the eye. "Tony is going to be all right, thanks to you."

"Thanks to Mr. Palmer," Ducky corrected. "If he hadn't noticed the bleeding..."

"I'm sure you would have noticed before things went too far," Gibbs interrupted.

"Of course I would have," Ducky agreed sarcastically. "After I had cut open his chest, or after I cut out his ribs to get to his heart. Perhaps I would have noticed his heart beating, without those pesky ribs in the way."

"Ducky," Gibbs admonished, "stop. You didn't do any of that. You stuck a liver probe into him. I'm sure Tony will forgive you for that, especially since that's what caused the bleeding and that's how you knew he was still alive."

"Who would do such a thing?" Ducky asked, rising and moving to Tony's bedside. He looked down into the pale face and shivered at what might have happened. Gibbs came up behind him and put his hand on Ducky's shoulder.

"I don't know," he replied grimly. "But we're going to find out. They'll pay for this, Ducky."

"Do you think they'll try to finish him off?" Ducky asked.

"As far as anyone is concerned, Tony is dead," Gibbs replied.

Ducky nodded in understanding. "That's why he's in quarantine, not ICU."

"We'll put a guard on him, just in case," Gibbs continued. "No one's getting to him again. How long will it take for the effects of the drug to wear off?"

Ducky shook his head. "I don't know," he replied. "We still don't know exactly what was injected into him. I'm having Abby test a sample of his blood, in addition to the lab here at the hospital. Right now we're just trying to flush it out of his system, but we won't know if there's any permanent damage until he wakes up and we can perform neurological tests. We don't even know if he'll wake up. His CAT scan and EEG appear normal, but there might be damage at a deeper level."

"He'll wake up," Gibbs replied. "If he knows what's good for him." He leaned down and spoke into Tony's ear, "Did you hear that, DiNozzo? You will wake up. And make it quick, we need you." He squeezed the younger agent's shoulder briefly, then turned and left the room, leaving Ducky to sit with Tony.

oOoOoOo

The squad room was somber, the absence of one team member changing the atmosphere drastically. It felt strange, not having Tony joking around or harassing Ziva or McGee. Not having his instincts or insights in this investigation was a stark reminder at how valuable he was to the team. Gibbs was more abrupt than usual, barking out orders and demanding answers from his harried team. The mood wasn't helped by the steady stream of agents coming to give their condolences and offering to help find DiNozzo's killer. Only the people who were in Tony's apartment knew he was still alive. The only exception, other than the Director, was Abby - Gibbs couldn't let her believe that Tony was dead. He knew he could trust her to help keep up the charade.

Even though Tony wasn't dead, having agents express their sympathy and their anger at his murder worsened Gibbs' mood. He could still see what he thought was Tony's dead body, lying on the floor, his blank eyes staring out at nothing. He didn't know if Tony was aware of what was happening around him. Knowing how hyperactive DiNozzo was, Gibbs was sure that the younger man was probably going crazy, not being able to move or talk. While Tony was relatively safe in the quarantine unit at the hospital, Ducky's words still rang in his ears. There was a possibility that Tony would never regain consciousness, or he could be permanently disabled. The thought of losing his senior field agent made Gibbs angrier. After his third blow-up in the squad room, the Director came down and told him that he and his team were to take time off. Gibbs and the other agents were furious, but the Director was adamant, insisting that they leave the investigation to a team less emotionally involved.

There was a tense silence as Gibbs and the Director faced off. Jen was relieved when she saw the realization in Gibbs' eyes. They both knew that nothing would keep the team off the case, but if they investigated "unofficially" they would no longer be under the watchful, though sympathetic, eyes of their fellow agents. Gibbs conveyed his thanks to Jen silently, and she smiled at the gratitude in his eyes.

"Ziva, McGee," he barked. "Let's go." Gibbs stalked out of the squad room, closely followed by the two younger agents. Ziva started to say something but Gibbs cut her off with a look. The three got on to the elevator and headed down to the parking garage. Before they reached the lower level, Gibbs flipped the switch and the elevator stopped.

"How could you let her take us off the case?" McGee asked accusingly. "Somebody tried to kill Tony, we should be the ones trying to get the creeps. No one's as good as we are."

"That's true," Gibbs agreed. "We're the best, and we're still investigating, we just won't be as visible."

"Will Jenny let us continue?" Ziva asked.

"She knows better than to try to stop us," Gibbs replied. "She's giving us freedom we wouldn't have with the other agents trying to help."

"Oh," McGee looked embarrassed. "Sorry, Boss. I guess I overreacted."

"You didn't overreact, McGee," Gibbs said. "You had the exact reaction I would hope you'd have when it came to protecting a team member. Tony would have loved to have heard that." The corner of his mouth quirked slightly. "Don't worry, I won't tell him."

McGee grinned. "Thanks, Boss. I'd never hear the end of it."

"You still won't," Ziva said, smiling mischievously.

"Great," McGee said, rolling his eyes.

Gibbs started the elevator. "Let's go see what Abby's got."