Disclaimer: See prologue, I still don't own NCIS
A/N: Big thanks to my beta, UnstoppableForce. *abby glomps* She rocks my face XD
Don't Say a Word
Chapter One:
It had been two hours since NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs had arrived at Bethesda Naval Hospital, having cleared the crime scene. He'd left the collection of evidence to Ziva and McGee, taking off like a bat out of hell in the Charger. Thinking back now, he had to wonder exactly how those two were supposed to get away from the scene, since he'd took off in the only car there, and Ducky's van wasn't exactly equipped for more than three living passengers. Ducky had arrived shortly after Gibbs had, staying long enough to get Tony's condition to inform Gibbs in English before going to the crime scene with Palmer to deal with the deceased attackers.
The day had started out with the team arriving at an abandoned warehouse that a trio of Iraqis was using as a base. As a unit, they had assassinated three Marines whose unit had killed Al Qaeda agents within their cell as retribution. Between Ziva and Abby's knowledge of bullets and Iraqis, McGee's ability to track them electronically, and Tony's sometimes random but clever connections that led them to the warehouse, they were able to pinpoint their location.
With the odds in their favor, it should have been a fairly simple arrest, but the third man had snuck up on them when they were preoccupied by the automatic weapons the other two had access to. There was no way Tony could have anticipated an attack from the very door he had entered from.
Now it was over two hours later, and all Gibbs knew was that Tony's shoulder wound had required surgery to remove the bullet and repair any severed tendons. He was now in the waiting room anticipating any change. Patience, however, was not a virtue Gibbs possessed, and even Ducky had called to see about any update on Tony's condition. Gibbs was just about to get up and ask the nurse behind the counter again for any word when a young woman threw the double doors open and swiftly approached the counter.
She couldn't have been more than twenty-three, dressed in simple jeans with UDC t-shirt. Her dark auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with her bangs falling repeatedly into her eyes as she fruitlessly tried to keep them off her face. She easily towered over the nurse behind the counter by a few inches, only adding to the determined expression she wore. But it was what she asked the nurse that peaked Gibbs' curiosity.
"Which room is Anthony DiNozzo in, please?" she inquired, her eyes never leaving the nurse's.
The nurse briefly looked at her computer before replying, "He's in surgery right now, Miss." The girl's jaw tightened as her already fair complexion paled further.
"Well, when will he be out of surgery?" she asked, closing her eyes for a moment before directing her gaze upon the nurse once again.
"I couldn't say, Miss," the nurse replied, her voice entirely too cheery. Apparently the woman thought so also.
"Well, could you tell me why it is that he requires surgery?" Her tone was now laced with venom, her eyes narrowed into a fairly impressive glare.
"I'm sorry, Miss, that's classified," the nurse replied tersely.
"Look! I know he's been shot! I just want to know what kind of damage there was that required him to go into surgery!" she stated, her voice rising with her temper as her bangs fell once again into her eyes.
"I'm sorry Miss, but that information is classified." This answer turned out to be the entirely wrong thing to say.
"Are you serious?! This must be the third time he's been shot, he's been stabbed at least two different times, nearly blown up twice, kidnapped, drugged, beaten up and don't even get me started on when he got the plague!" she ranted. "A girl would think that she's now as recognizable as the patient whose condition you are so readily withholding! Is there anything you can tell me?!" she demanded, her eyes daggers. Gibbs decided it was now time to figure out who this woman was.
"Looking for DiNozzo?" he asked rhetorically. The girl whipped around, causing her ponytail to wind around her neck as she raised an eyebrow inquisitively, her piercing blue eyes meeting his without hesitation.
"Name's Gibbs, DiNozzo's boss," he stated, extending his hand. She chuckled and grinned for a moment before taking his hand and shaking it firmly.
"Sylvie, family," she replied as an introduction. "So I'm guessing this is the part where you tell me what happened?"
"Yep," Gibbs answered, deciding not to withhold information. For some reason, he trusted this woman. He wasn't sure why, but he did. "My team was in the process of busting a couple of dirt bags who'd killed three Marines. While we were distracted by the heavy fire from two of them ahead of us in the warehouse, a third crept around and came up behind DiNozzo, hitting him in the shoulder. The surgery is just to remove the bullet and repair any damage it may have done; could've been worse."
"Yeah, that's the part that scares me," Sylvie replied softly, brushing her hair out of her face again. Just then a man in slightly bloodstained scrubs walked into the waiting room.
"Gibbs?" he said, holding out his hand. "I'm Doctor Evans; Doctor Mallard told me you'd be waiting."
"What do you know, Doc?" Gibbs asked as he shook his hand.
"There were hardly any complications. The bullet came out fine, figured you might want it for evidence," he stated as he handed Gibbs a jar with a single bullet in it. "There were only a few things to patch up. He'll have to wear a sling for a couple weeks to make sure his shoulder heals properly, and it'll be three weeks before he can be back in the field. But other than that, he's well on his way to a full recovery. He's in Recovery right now, second room, if you want to –" Just then the doctor caught sight of Sylvie, who had taken a seat behind Gibbs.
"Sylvia! I didn't realize you'd gotten here. Come with me, I'll take you right to him," Dr. Evans said quickly with a small smile which Sylvie returned. They both immediately took off out of the waiting room, leaving Gibbs to trail behind.
As they approached an open door with a small plate with the number two above it, Dr. Evans stopped and waved them in. "He's right in there," he said to Gibbs and Sylvie.
"She's here, Tony," he said into the room with a smile. Gibbs continued to look at the doctor, confused; Tony never mentioned having any family in D.C., let alone someone close enough for them to be a regular visitor. They all walked into the antiseptic-scented room, and he finally got a glimpse of his Senior Agent.
His face was still pale, but not anything near the stark-white it had been at the warehouse. His shoulder was bandaged of course, his arm lying across his chest. Being DiNozzo, he was smiling as they walked in. It was in that instant, when his green eyes lit up as he threw that grin at them that Gibbs knew he'd be just fine, and let out an involuntary sigh of relief.
It was the next second however that threw him off kilter, as Sylvie effectively threw herself into Tony's arms, hugging him around the neck, all accompanied with the shout of a single word:
"Daddy!"
A/N: read and review please, I'd love to see what you all think XD
~the Evil Jenyus