Chapter 6

Tony watched the scene unfolding in the hospital room as if in a trance, trying to hide the tears, feeling helpless, like a child, the feeling he hated most. He remembered waking up to feel water all over him, Shelby having dropped the pitcher by her bed, hearing her cry as she finally confessed that she hadn't been able to hold it. That was the last thing he really remembered, the doctors, the nurses, were all a blur. He turned, looking for the nearest pay phone, knowing what he had to do.

Timothy McGee answered the phone at NCIS. "Gibbs' desk, Agent McGee..."

"Probie, get me Gibbs. Now." Tony barked.

"He's not here. He and Ducky left about twenty minutes ago. His cell phone should be on."

"It's not." Tony frowned, not liking it, knowing something was going on. Gibbs wouldn't make himself unreachable for no reason, especially not with the girls in such precarious positions. "Did he say where they were going?"

"He had me look up an address and then told Ziva and myself to stay here, stay put." He paused. "Tony, what's wrong?"

"Is Ziva still there?" Failing at reaching Gibbs or Jenny, he knew Ziva could help.

"Yeah. She's right here." He handed the phone over to Tony's partner who immediately started talking.

"Ziva." He paused. " Shelby..." He thought back to that room. "I need a favor."

"Anything," Ziva said, meaning it, even if it were to defy one of Gibbs' direct orders.

"Get the address from Probie and come pick me up." He wasn't even sure if they could get there in time, but he wanted to try, not to stop Gibbs, but to help him.

They made the arrangements and he hung up, returning to Shelby's room, kissing her forehead, noticing how tired she seemed. "Feel better?"

"The bullet hit something..." She was having trouble keeping her blue eyes open. "They think therapy will help."

"That's great, baby." He stroked her cheek, trying to keep the tears back, this Shelby unlike any he'd ever seen before, scaring him more than he would admit.

"Tony?" She paused. "Is he okay?"

He smiled. "Yeah. He's just worried about Jenny, but they'll both be okay."

She shook her head. "He does so many stupid things when he's worried about people. Takes too many risks."

He had wondered how he could tell her, not wanting her to wake up and him not be there, but this was the perfect time. "I'm going with Ziva to check on him. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise." She nodded and he watched over her until she fell asleep.

Ziva put her hand on Tony's shoulder when he didn't hear her enter the room. He wiped his tears and she pretended not to see. "She's having a little trouble holding things."

"Are you sure you want to go?" Ziva asked. "I'll go for you."

He nodded. "I know you would, but...I have to be the one. And I told her I'd take care of Gibbs." He made sure Shelby was warm enough and then left the room.

"Jethro," Ducky said, reaching out to grab the dashboard in front of him as Gibbs made a sharp right turn, regretting the decision to let his friend drive. "Slow down or we'll never get there."

Then, and only then, did Gibbs slow down to his usual breakneck speed, still gripping the steering wheel tightly, still not speaking since leaving headquarters.

"Who was the man on the security camera?" Ducky asked, trying to bring his friend out of himself, worried about Gibbs' mental health if Jenny didn't come out of this.

"Nathan Short," Gibbs answered after a long pause. "He was an NCIS agent when Jen first partnered with me."

He recounted the story to his friend, how long Short had everyone fooled until one of his victims had finally made contact with Jen, made her believe the story enough to investigate further. They had investigated the story exactly as she had investigated La Grenuoille, put both of them in danger, but it hadn't bothered him back then like it did in recent years. When Short was handed over to the authorities, it had finally been all over, or so he'd thought, even when he heard through the grapevine that Short had been released.

"I never thought this would happen. I should have cancelled the shopping trip. Made Jenny take Steve with her." He knew and understood how hard it was for her to be surrounded all the time, either with NCIS agents or her bodyguard, some form of protection, but he knew it was for her own good. She was too vulnerable otherwise and he lived in fear of something like this happening, someone taking her away from him.

"It's not your fault, Jethro. Both girls have always done exactly what they wanted to do, the...Jenny especially."

He nodded, thinking of his headstrong redheaded partner, still one of the two loves of his life. "Tell me she'll be okay, Duck. Even if you don't mean it."

"She'll be okay."

Gibbs and Ducky arrived at the old, rundown, almost abandoned hotel first, Gibbs turning to look at his long-time friend. "I'll yell when I find Jenny."

"Jethro..." He knew anything he said would fall upon deaf ears. He knew that going with his friend would only be a hinderance. "Be careful."

"See if you can get DiNozzo at the hospital, get an update on Shelby for me, please." Without even closing his eyes, he could see Shelby in the hospital bed, so pale, so still. If Short could hurt his sister, what would he do to Jenny?

Going inside the office area, Gibbs barely missed the arrival of Ziva and Tony. "Ducky?" Ziva asked.

"Inside, my dear. He wanted me to stay here until he found the director." He didn't bother to ask questions, somehow having known that the two would show up, as they seemed to always do.

"Ziva..." Tony turned to look at his partner, about to tell her to stay.

"Bite me," she said, using part of her new English language, causing him to get dangerously close to a smile, no longer bothering to argue with her, knowing she, of all people, could take care of herself, probably as well or better than he and Gibbs could.

They split up, each going a seperate direction, knowing Ducky would make some sort of noise, not even really knowing what they were looking for, aside from Shelby's description.

It was Ziva who came across Short's room first. He knew, from his surveillence of Gibbs and Jenny, who Ziva was and he smiled, thinking he had the best fortune of them all. "Scream."

Ziva thought quickly. There was no time to get her gun or her knife, but screaming would bring both Gibbs and Tony into a trap they weren't prepared for. She had no intention of screaming, even after she received a sharp slap across the cheek, Short holding a hand behind her so she couldn't fight back, a knife dangerously close to her throat, Gibbs running when he heard the noise, truly surprised when he saw Ziva, and then furious, not at Ziva, whose instincts had told her to try to help, nor at himself, who'd specifically told her to stay at the office, but at Short, putting yet another woman he cared about in danger.

"Drop the knife," Gibbs snarled, judging the difference in height between Ziva and Short, wondering if he could still make a shot like that. He had the last time Jenny had been kidnapped, but that was before the coma and Jenny had trusted him with her life, as she always had. If Ziva moved one way or another when he wasn't expecting it, he ran the danger of hitting her instead, killing her.

"Shoot him," Ziva said, not ordering, not scared, just in a matter-of-fact voice that said she trusted him, which she did, as much or more than she did Jenny or Tony. She knew that, although every instinct in her was telling her to fight, to struggle, that she had to let Gibbs take care of it, if only this one time.

Tony was able to see the situation, Short's knife at his partner's throat, knowing Ziva well enough to know exactly what she would want to do in that moment, but also seeing what Short was doing. In a manner of a little over two days, he had stolen Jenny, almost murdered Shelby, and was now trying to hurt Ziva. It had to stop somewhere.

Tony snuck into the adjoining hotel room, making a noise that sounded like the walls were about to cave in, causing enough racket that Short turned quickly and Gibbs was able to make the shot without fear of hurting Ziva. Gibbs approached his nemesis, his gun still pointed, as Ziva moved out of the way. It took all Gibbs had inside of him not to fire the gun again, but when they flipped Short over, it seemed that one bullet was all it had taken.

"Damn!" Gibbs uttered, not especially sorry that Short was dead, but sorry that he hadn't obtained the information on where Jenny was located before he died.

Tony let himself in, wanting to hug his partner, but knowing how it would be received, especially in front of anyone else. His eyes went to the laptop, still showing an image of Jenny, only not the Jenny any of them recognized. Her mouth was moving, her eyes were closed, and it was obvious she was in severe distress. He was torn, knowing Gibbs needed to see it, but not wanting his boss to be hurt and knowing it would kill him. "Boss," he finally, gently, said, catching Gibbs' and Ziva's attention, bringing their eyes to the laptop screen in silence.