hey guys, im having trouble uploading stuff, but im seriously trying, so please forgive me for the lateness of the chapter, but there were serious technical difficulties that I couldnt avoid.

Chapter 4- Awakening

Gibbs looked on in sheer disbelief, he also had heard Abby's sob and had come outside planning to comfort her, only to find that once he exit the room that McGee had already embraced her, and the proceeded to kiss her, unsuspectedly right in front of him. Gibbs' surprise quickly turned into annoyance, Abby had need comforting, but kissing her was unnecessary and now McGee was probably going to break rule number 12 again!

Gibbs had let Abby and Tim get away with it before, but he knew that things were different then. Now he couldn't let them, if he gave them an exception he knew that Tony would take that inch and run with it for a mile. Kate wouldn't have gone out with Tony if her life depended on it, but now with Ziva… Gibbs didn't know what Tony would do if he was allowed an exception, but it would certainly end with disaster and ruin one of the best partnerships Gibbs had seen in a few years- or ever, actually.

He saw as McGee registered his present and then turned to face him, his mouth fell open in surprise. Gibbs almost wanted to take a photo of his face, but then remembered the consequences this was going to have and continued scowling at him. Abby noticing McGee's face turned and followed his glaze, until she too turned to face Gibbs.

She however was much more comfortable, she was slightly put off that Gibbs had seen that, but honestly she wasn't fazed. She was his favourite, and that was always in her favour.

Abby actually heard McGee's mouth drop in surprise, she suppressed a slight chuckle. Abby just tilted her head with a curious look on her face before chirply asking "whatcha doing here Gibbs?"

"Just dropping in on my agent" he spoke to her almost normally, however it was stiffened, forced. It was probably due to the fact that Gibbs hadn't torn his eyes away from McGee to whom he was still shooting daggers.

"oh Tony! How is he?" she said, as she pushed Gibbs out of the doorway before he had a chance to say anything else.

Gibbs followed her back into the room, however McGee was hesitant to be in a close proximately to Gibbs and therefore remained at the door. Watching from a safe distance. Gibbs returned to glaring at McGee, who shifted uncomfortably and handily looked away. However Gibbs maintained his glare knowing that McGee would look up, he was unable to pretend ignore his boss for long, and Gibbs knew it. Gibbs almost smiled as he watch probie's uncomfortability grow, but he made sure that the smirk was gone before McGee looked up. When he did Gibbs continued to glare at him, before jerking his head ever so slightly towards the door.

Tony, was heavy headed. His eyelids felt like lead, and burned, even though they remained closed. His shoulder burned, and itched, yet his body felt heavy and he maintained not the strength to move any muscle, though he tried. He tried to lift his head, but there was a roaring noise in his ears and then the blackness encircled him again…

McGee's face fell, he walked out the door sulkily and Gibbs followed nodding, ever so slightly to abbs, as he left shutting the door behind him. Not before he saw a fleeting glance of Abby's face, a pout on her lips with slight annoyance and disapproval on her face, however she stayed put at Tony's side.

As soon as they were outside the door McGee started "Boss I'm sorry, wait, I didn't say that, I know the rules, and well I sorta…" McGee trailed off, realising that Gibbs was still just staring at him, almost amused waiting for him to stop.

Gibbs just watched as his agent, just dug himself a deeper and deeper pit. However after McGee stopped Gibbs paused, letting his displeasure show, and sink in.

McGee dipped his head, he had known the rules and yet, it was him who kissed Abby, he knew that and that meant, Tim thought glumly, that it was his fault.

"what do you think you were doing McGee?"

"ahh… well. Ummm. It won't happen again?"

"is that a question or a statement?"

"a statement"

"ya think?" Gibbs slapping the back of his head, as he spun past heading back into Tony's hospital room. McGee came in after a few seconds afterwards, his head hung slightly lower, coming to stand behind Abby's chair. Gibbs remained on the other side of the room.

Tony slowly became aware of his surroundings, though his eyes remained closed. He could hear the steady beeping of, what he recognised to be, the hospital machines monitoring a heartbeat, his heartbeat. However he could also hear the breathing of someone else, he thought it was his own, but it wasn't. He tried to open his eyes, but they remained shut. They felt heavy and he was weak, what was the problem waiting a few moments?...

Abby drew in a sharp breath, startled. "Gibbs! Look!" she motioned to Tony's face, his eyes were twitching beneath their lids, struggling. Gibbs looked over, turning away from the window, expecting to see his senior field agent awake. He was sadly disappointed. Although he had taken quite a beating, and although the blood had been wiped from his face, he still looked sick.

Tony tried to remember how he got here, his thoughts struggled, all fighting to be remembered but all just remaining out of reach. 'Think dammit' he thought to himself. He remembered they were on a case, something to do with another terrorist attack in America, and they were chasing that man… they sent Ziva under cover, with him as her backup, but then something had gone wrong, something none of them had expected. Somehow someone had found out, and instead of confronting her, or kidnapping her, they had been smarter. They had thought it through, they had made it look like they were inviting her further into the operations, making an offer that she couldn't have had refused. Tony had raised the point with Gibbs, that he thought that maybe her cover had been blown, that maybe it wasn't safe, that maybe she shouldn't have gone. But she had insisted, and Gibbs had managed to talk him out of it. He had let her go back in there, and then this happened. Then they got wind too late that it was a trap and that….

He had remembered, the blood, her mangled body on the floor, the ambulance. He remembered now. Ziva had been stabbed and possibly killed, and he had found her, tossed aside, dying in his hands, as she slowly bleed out, Tony's eyes snapped open…

All attention was on Tony now, his eyes flickering under their lids as they tried to escape the nightmare that surrounded them, failing miserably, like a chasing after the wind. Abby was stroking his forehead, muttering encouragement in a mere whisper, while McGee stood on behind her concern written on his face. The steady beat of Tony's heart grew faster and faster until it was almost a constant beep instead of individual beats.

Tony's eyes suddenly snapped open, his face blanched with fear, gasping for breath, he immediately tried to jump out of the bed, whist still having all the needles and wires attached to his body.

"No Tony you need to rest" cried Abby, but he couldn't hear her. Tony tore at the oxygen line running beneath his nose, and threw it down.

Gibbs stepped forward seeing the crazed look in Tony's eye, he grabbed him by the shoulders and held him still, his eyes burned with fury, one that never had been seen before, a crazed angry 'get out of my way before I kill you' look that Tony had never possessed before. But then he became a bit more aware of his surroundings. He saw that it was Gibbs, his boss, his friend, his mentor, and his body relaxed a bit more.

Abby turned to McGee her eyes wide with shock, "go get help" but there was no need, already there was nurses streaming into the room, having heard the commotion.

The nurses pulled on his arms, but his body, so pumped full of adrenaline didn't even notice them. He was having an eye conversation with Gibbs.

Gibbs understood; Tony he realised, was only aware of what had happened to his partner, this adrenaline was the same that had powered him to get to Ziva first. It came from his protective nature over his partner.

Tony's eyes screamed at him the one question that burned his heart, that ate at him, that drove him to this insanity. "She's ok." He spoke aloud, but his eyes rang with sincerity that couldn't have been faked, not even by Gibbs.

Tony became aware of the nurses and allowed them to push him back onto the hospital bed, his eyes still solely focused on Gibbs. Tony's heart slowed and slowly the nurses slowly left the room, insisting that the doctor shall come in a few minuets time, seeing as Tony had just awoken to 'make sure that everything was alright' although it was clearly evident that Tony's super strength was not alright by her standards. As the last nurse left, she shot an anxious glance backward as she slipped from the door.

As soon as the path was clear, Abby promptly threw herself at Tony in a bone crunching hug, even thought he was only partly propped up.

"I'm all right abs, really" Tony managed to wheeze out

McGee noticing the slightly purple colour coming to Tony's face due to lack of oxygen, put his hand on Abby's shoulder and pulled her back into the chair.

"You look slightly too happy McGoogle to be seeing me in a hospital bed"

McGee rolled his eyes, knowing that he could do no right, by Tony's standards at the moment.

However before Tony could make another comment, a doctor walked in.

"Good evening, actually that might be morning" glancing at his watch "ah I was right, Good morning, I'm Doctor Jonathan Bone, I'm one of the doctors here."

Tony almost wanted to slip back into unconsciousness this man was terrible, no sense of humour at all! He was, Tony thought grudgingly to himself, even worse than McGee. Looking around it seemed like the other members of the team felt exactly the same way. Gibbs especially.

Dr Bone, picked up Tony's guide, off the end of the bed, examined it closely for a brief time before replacing it back on the end of the bed.

"so ahh.. am I free to go doc?" Tony asked trying to have a positive mindframe, or whatever Abby was always talking about.

"Almost, just want to check a few more things before we let you go completely, that's all fine with the rest of ya, isn't it?" a sortof cheesy grin plaster on the doctor's face, like he enjoyed the fake sincerity way too much for a normal person. He started to look like a clown, with their paint on expression of happiness. Or one of those really old people who have had botox, and are yelling in anger with their dainty little smile still stuck on their face.

It made Tony want to puke, but he refrained, and tried to mask the swallowing, as he forcibly made sure that he was deemed healthy and rearing to go. Well at least that what he wanted the Doc to believe. The truth was he did feel a little dizzy and shell shocked, but more than anything he just wanted to get out of this squishy room and go and see his partner.

"Are you feeling any vertigo at the moment?" Dr. Bone came up to him, pulled out his flashlight, and tested his eyes, for their dilation to light, and then seeming satisfied, stepped back a pace.

"Not at all" Tony lied, and even managed a fake smile, quite similar to the doctors actually.

"Do you remember, what happened? How you got here?" Turning from Tony, he spoke to the others, "most patients don't actually remember the incident or how they ended up here." He was polite enough, but it was patronising. Even Abby in her usual positive thinking, was glaring at him, the fury and hatred poured off her in waves.

Tony, through gritted teeth "yes, I do remember how I got here. Now am I free to go yet?". The impatience was evident in his voice, the Doc looked dubious but slowly nodded.

"Follow me and we can go get your personal belongings, however we will need someone else, to come, we aren't allowed to release a firearm back into your possession without a signature." Dr. Bones said somewhat sheepily.

Tony followed him from the room, and Gibbs followed, a half pace behind. The Doc tried to make small talk as they walked, merely grunted for replies, and if words were necessary they were short and bittersweet.

He was running low on patience, he still had a very vague idea of the condition of his partner, he had Gibbs' word that she was safe, and although he trusted Gibbs with his life, there was still a brick of fear in his stomach weighing him down, one that he knew that would only disappear once he had seen her for herself.

Unfortunately for Tony the Doc couldn't be discouraged from his 100 questions game, which he alone seemed to be enjoying rather than anyone else.

"Just wait here, and I'll be right back" said doc as he headed into the back of hospital. After a couple of minutes, with no sign of the doctor coming back Tony started to get restless. He started tapping a rhythm on the bench top, his fingers tapping out his annoyance, until the nurse sitting behind the desk kindly asked him to knock it off. He began to pace, back and forth, Gibbs watched on as Tony's face grew more and more sombre. There wasn't a need to guess what he was worried about. It was obvious. Gibbs shifted slightly where he stood, it was growing uncomfortable watching his agent. His emotions were splashed over his face so clearly, that it was too intense to be near, it felt awkward, like he was interrupting something.

Gibbs shook his head, this was nonsense. They weren't even together, and they would not break rule 12, they knew the rules. But to be cautious he would have a talk with Tony anyway, later, when he was calmer..

Finally the Doc came back, carrying Tony's clothes, shoes and trusted NCIS cap as well as his SIG. Gibbs signed for the release of the firearm and they left, kindly declining the doctors offer to escort them to Ziva's room.

After changing on the way to her room, Tony came out of the bathroom to find Gibbs facing him. His eyes searching his, for what Tony knew not. Tony knew that he could not let his gaze drop. Just hold his glaze he thought to himself and after several minutes Gibbs seemed satisfied.

Gibbs decided, he would let Tony go on alone. He was stronger than he had been, and he was certainly safe in a hospital. He would give him time, Gibbs didn't know how he would react to seeing his partner in her current state. However he knew that it was something that didn't require his attendance. So he decided to give Tony some space, and gave him the directions and watched him walk quickly up the hallway, before disappearing around a corner.

anyway hope that was good. let me know what you think.