The seering pain in his back had gone, but at the same time he had never felt so helpless in his entire life, though this precise moment wasn't exactly 'life'. He watched the medical team frantically work on his own dead form on the operating table, he felt completely pain free but absolutly terrified.. It was still slightly fuzzy as to why he was in this predicament in the first place.

"Tony" Said another voice behind him.

He turned around.

"You?!" He said.

"Oh, hi Kate, nice to see you, it's been a while!" Said Kate "Don't look so scared, it doesn't suit you"

"What happened to me, Kate?" He asked "Why are you here? Am I dead?"

"At the moment yes, but they'll get you back, it's not your time yet" She said wisely.

"I'm no doctor, but hasn't it already been too long?" He said "A brain can only be starved of oxygen for so long"

She could see he was panicing.

"Wow, that's smart, Tony" She said trying to lighten the mood.

"Kate!"

"Tony...you'll be in a coma" She said.

"A coma, was I in an accident?" He asked "What about Ziva?"

"Ziva's worried, but she's alright" She smiled "You got stabbed, remember?"

"Not really" He exclaimed.

"And also let's face it, a coma's a better deal the I ever got!" She said "Listen Tony, we haven't got long, you can't come with me, there's more than just Ziva you'll be leaving behind"

Before he could ask what she meant, the pain in his back returned and he was back in his body once again.

Paul Dinozzo was a large portly gentleman who sat poolside with his party guests drinking a Gin and Tonic. He glared at the house keeper when she came out with the phone in her hand.

"For the third time, Jane, I don't want to be disturbed" Paul had been called twice already and refused to take it "Tell my son I'll call him back"

"Sir, with respect, it's a Special Agent McGee from NCIS and he just told me what he wants, I really think you should speak to him" She said.

"This better be good, I'm hosting a toga party here" He yelled down the phone.

McGee cringed at the image of a man in a toga. Many men in toga's.

"Mr Dinozzo, I'm a collegue of your son's I'm special agent McGee, may I speak with you somewhere quieter?"

Paul sighed with irritation and walked unhappily inside the house away from the noise of the party. Jane the house-keeper followed dutifully behind him.

"Now tell me what is so damn important" He barked.

"Sir, your son was injured earlier this evening"

"What's he done now, who did he annoy this time?"

"Sir, you don't understand" Said McGee realising all of what Tony had said about his father was true "He was on duty"

"So, he broke a bone, dislocated a shoulder, he's got a wife, let her take care of it"

McGee was insenced, Abby who stood with him when he was making the phone call gave him a look, it made him realise that even though this wasn't the nicest man in the world he was speaking to it still his friend's father.

"Sir, he was stabbed"

There was silence for a moment and McGee thought he had hung up.

"Stabbed?"

"Yes, you should get here quickly, Sir"

There was another silence.

"I will, tell Ziva I'll be there soon"

"Any news Jethro?" Said Ducky as he entered the little waiting room.

Abby and Tim had returned. Ducky's question had been answered by the presence of a red-haired doctor sitting on one of the chairs. Ziva's heart began to thump hard in her chest and Ducky was still reeling from Ziva's revelation in the cafeteria. Matt took a moment of silence from everyone in the room as his cue to start.

"The wound Agent Dinozzo recieved was extremely deep, it severed blood vessels including a major one going to the kidney, there was a massive bleed"

Ducky's heart sank, he understood what the ramifications could be.

"I'm afraid his heart stopped, we got him back but it took several minutes."

Ducky's heart sank even further, and he squeezed Ziva's hand.

"I'm sorry, his brain was starved of oxygen for too long, you're husband went into a deep coma"

"So what now?" Said McGee

"We hope he'll wake up, but we're just not sure"

Ziva got up and left the room and Abby was about to go after her.

"She needs some space, I'd leave her for a bit, she'll come back in when she's ready" Said Matt "Tell her I'm here for her when she needs me"

"Thank you, Doctor Roberts" Said Ducky.

"Something wrong, Kid?" Said Ray as they sat in Carl Davis' his apartment.

Davis had a bottle of beer in his hand though he felt he needed something stronger.

"I asked you a question?" Said Thorn irritably "You losing you're nerve? Maybe I was wrong about you"

"I didn't want to hurt anyone" He blurted out, tears in his eyes.

"You can't conduct business on the street without sheding a little blood, kid" Said Thorn

"I'm a Petty Officer in the US Navy, I'm not a drug dealer!" He shouted "You were wrong about me, I didn't want you to 'save' me, I deserved what I was going to get"

"So you wanted to go to jail?" Said Thorn incredulously "I thought you had guts"

"That NCIS agent you stabbed could be dead, and it's because of me" He said "I don't want to be in this deep!"

"NCIS are scum, the faster you learn that the better you'll get at this" He replied "You're in too far now!"

"I want you out!" Said Davis "I don't want you here, get out"

Thorn came closer to him.

"Get away from me!" Davis was panicing as Thorn had taken his knife out again.

"Seeing him get stabbed really screwed with your head didn't it? I can't have you going and dropping me in it now can I?"

Carl backed into his kitchen table and grabbed the glass bottle that was on it and smashed it over Thorn's head. Thorn dropped to the floor. Carl stood for a few moments frozen, then he knew he had to check he hadn't killed Thorn. He bent down and checked his pulse. He still had one, he was just out cold. Carl grabbed a kitchen cloth and grabbed the knife from Thorn's hands, it sickened him to see the dried blood on it from earlier that evening. Carl headed out of the door without hesitation, he took the knife with him, he needed to right the wrongs he had done, but he knew Thorn would always be behind him now. He needed help.