This chapter is dedicated to Shannon Snape, for her idea about how to help Tony! I did not think of that and I want to give you credit for such a wonderful idea. :)

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 8

Ziva waited until Tony fell asleep before walking downstairs and saw the light was on in the dining room. The rest of the team had gone home. Gibbs was sitting with a cup of coffee, drinking it in silence. He looked up when she entered the room.

"Tony is coughing up blood," Ziva simply stated, deciding not to wander around the topic.

He nodded once, not standing up.

"What should we do?"

"There's nothing we can do at the moment, other than put DiNozzo in the hospital. The coughing is irritating his damaged lungs. Ducky warned me that it could happen," Gibbs spoke, standing up and taking his mug into the kitchen.

"We cannot just let him suffer like this!" Ziva said, raising her voice in frustration.

"What do you want me to do?" Gibbs remained calm, leaning his back against the sink and placing his arms across his chest.

"Something Gibbs! Tony is in pain and I cannot just leave him up there! I have to do something to help him."

"Ziva, we have to be patient."

"Patience will not help Tony! He needs to go to the hospital."

Gibbs kept his voice quiet. "It's his decision. He doesn't want to go to a hospital. If he gets bad enough, I'll drive him to the hospital myself. Ziva, you have to trust me." He came up to her and placed his hands on her shoulder to comfort her. Ziva sighed as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I won't let anything happen to him, Ziver. I promise."

"I will hold you to that promise."

There was a soft creak behind them and the two turned to see Tony standing in the doorway. His lips were pulled down as he fought to control his emotions, readjusting the blanket over his shoulders. Gibbs broke the embrace, releasing Ziva as she ran over to him and hugged him. Tony used his remaining strength to stay upright as he squeezed her. He had heard them arguing from upstairs and couldn't let them get angry at each other because of his situation. It was his fault for running into the burning house to save a little girl that was doomed to die. Tony pushed the thoughts away as he let go of Ziva. He stood up on his own for a moment before his knees started to give and Gibbs caught him. Without a word, Gibbs helped him back upstairs and into the bed. Ziva sat down next to Tony, this time placing herself on the bed to prevent him from getting up.

"Stay with him," Gibbs whispered in her ear.

He made his way downstairs and put on his jacket, heading out into the rain and ran for the garage. Not bothering to turn on the light, he picked up several pieces of wood before heading back inside and straight into the basement, getting to work.

Ziva and Tony listened to the sounds of their boss leave and return, thumping down to his man cave. Tony didn't say anything, just coughed into his hand and closed his eyes. Ziva could tell that he wasn't sleeping. She decided to take Gibbs' advice and exercise some patience, but found it quite difficult to do.

"Tony, I am sorry."

"Just… forget it," he interrupted. "I don't want you guys arguing over me."

"I am only concerned about your well-being."

"Don't. It was my fault, running into the smoke and compromising my lungs."

Ziva touched his arm, being careful not to touch the bandages, and getting Tony to open his eyes and look at her.

"It is not your fault that the little girl didn't survive."

Tony coughed, trying to get enough oxygen to yell at her, but was unable to do it. He fell back against his pillow. Ziva took in a shaky breath. The sick agent glanced over in her direction, sensing that she was upset about something and not just his behavior. He rolled onto his side, facing her as she pulled her knees up and focused on her hands.

"Ziva…"

"You are not the only one who could not save a child." Ziva sniffed as moisture pooled in her eyes. "Talia, my little sister; I could not save her. She was killed in a terrorist attack against Israel. I was with my father at the time and Talia was home alone. She must have heard the sound of bombs and went outside to investigate. I was the one to find her body in the street, only a block away from our home. I could not save her. She was already dead when I found her; bloody and covered in dirt. I remember wiping the tears from her face. She bled to death in the street, no one bothered to try and help her." Ziva wiped her nose on the edge of her sleeve before continuing. "The death of the little girl you tried to save is different. You cared enough to try and help her, even if it was too late. Tony, you cannot blame yourself. It will not help you."

Tony was silent for a moment as he observed Ziva wiping at her eyes and attempting not to look him in the eye, ashamed of her visible emotions. She was vulnerable underneath her tough Mossad background and it made him realize that it was alright. Tony did his best to save the girl. If he blamed himself for it, he could end up like Ziva. She told him not to blame himself, but it was clear that she still felt guilty for not being able to help her sister.

"I'm so sorry Ziva," he whispered.

"Thank you Tony. We can talk more tomorrow. Try to get some sleep."

He nodded, closing his eyes. He felt a tickle at the back of his throat and realized the glass of water was on the other side of Ziva. As if sensing what he needed, Ziva picked up the cup and tried to hand it to Tony. He quickly sat up, but didn't watch what he was doing and dumped the cup of water down Ziva's shirt. She gasped as the cold water seeped through the material.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't watching what I was doing."

"No, it is alright," Ziva laughed softly.

Tony coughed as he tried to laugh, but failed. Ziva went into the bathroom and returned with a fresh glass of water, helping him take small sips until he relaxed. She picked up his button down shirt off the chair and disappeared from the room for a minute. She returned wearing his shirt, her wet shirt nowhere in sight.

"You don't want to have a wet t-shirt contest with me?" Tony teased.

"Not tonight. Go to sleep."

He grumbled softly about feeling like a small child before settling down. Ziva sat beside him until his breathing evened out a little and she knew he was asleep. The young woman watched him as he slept with his mouth parted slightly and his chest rising and falling. Knowing that Tony shouldn't be left alone, Ziva was concerned about what Gibbs was doing in the basement. She left the door to Tony's room open and slowly walked down the stairs. The door to the basement was open and she hesitantly crept down the wooden steps. Gibbs looked up at her once before going back to his work. He was building a frame of some sort to put under the mattress in Tony's room, to elevate him and help him breathe.

"He is asleep."

Gibbs nodded. "You okay?"

Ziva smiled. She walked the rest of the way down the stairs and stood next to him. "I am fine."

"You are always welcome to say what you want down here. It never leaves this room."

Gibbs gave her a small smile as he handed her some sandpaper. She gently took it and he placed her hand on the wood, showing her how to sand along with the grain.

When I researched the death of Ziva's sister Talia, all I could find was that she had died in a terrorist attack against Israel. I wanted to include Ziva's deep feelings about the loss of her sister, giving her something to help Tony grieve. I hope that it wasn't outside of canon.

Thanks for all of the reviews! I hope you keep them coming! Over 200 on story alert now, so thanks to all of you, even if you don't review!

Let me know what you thought!

Emma