Gibbs and Ducky made Tony and Ziva agree to go back to the hospital where they would receive treatment and evaluation. Being separated from each other had proved trying, and Gibbs made the conscious decision to make sure someone was with them during waking hours. If anything, to make the days seem less immeasurable.
The sun had come up on the new day before they'd been admitted, and they all needed sleep at this point. Abby and Ducky volunteered for first watch at one o'clock. Abby had brought a board game to play with Ziva. Ziva was just glad to have the distraction from the doctors.
Ducky made his way to Tony's room with a file under his arm. As he walked into the room, he saw the agent facing the window on his side. Unsure of whether or not he was awake, he quietly made his way to the chair beside him.
"Hey, Duck," Tony said, opening his eyes.
"Anthony, how are you feeling?" he said as he sat. He noticed a grimace on Tony's face.
"Not so great," he grunted.
Ducky leaned forward. "Are the lacerations hurting?"
"No...chest." Ducky worriedly took his wrist to check his pulse.
"How long have you been in pain?"
"Just woke up with it. Maybe five minutes ago," he was holding his breath.
"Have you eaten anything today?"
"Tomato soup. Nurse woke me up a while ago; made me drink it."
"Your heart rate is slightly elevated, but I'm sure you just have a case of acid reflux."
"I've had heartburn before, Duck. This is much worse."
Ducky stood. "I'll get the nurse, and we'll make sure it's nothing more serious. Meanwhile, if you can manage to sit up, it may help to alleviate some of your discomfort," Ducky made his way to the nurse's station.
Tony slowly turned onto his back, grunting at the stabbing pain in his chest, and pressed the button on the bed to raise himself to a sitting position. By the time Ducky returned with the nurse, Tony was hunched over with his arms clutching his chest...
*~.~*
Gibbs was pulled from his sleep when the phone rang at his bedside. He looked at his alarm clock to see what time it was, then sat up against the headboard and answered the phone, "Yeah, Gibbs."
"Jethro," Ducky said on the other line, "I don't mean to alarm you, but I just arrived at the hospital to sit with Tony. He's suffering from chest pain," he told him.
Anxiety flaring, Gibbs stood from his bed and went to the dresser to pull out something to wear. "What's happening to him?" he asked worriedly.
"The doctors are in with him now. I thought, at first, that it might be a simple case of heartburn...but it seems he's in quite a bit of pain...I'm not sure."
"I'll be there soon, Duck. Call me if you hear anything before I get there."
*~.~*
"Your turn," Abby said after she'd moved her piece on the board. She looked up at Ziva, who was looking off somewhere else. "Ziva," she said, getting her attention.
"Sorry," she said as she picked up the dice from the board.
"What were you thinking about?" she asked her.
"Nothing," she gave her a small smile. Abby watched her as she moved her piece.
"Mind if I ask you something?" she asked. Ziva looked at her. "I know it's none of my business, but if you wanna talk about what happened... and I know that's not really your thing. I mean talking..."
"Abby," she stopped her, "Thank you for your concern. But I am fine."
"Okay...well..." she furrowed her brow as she thought, "Mind if ask what happened?"
"Why?"
"McGee...was really worried last night," she said. "When he heard the audio file of you...screaming."
"Audio file?" Ziva's brow furrowed.
"Yates sent audio to Gibbs, in effort to get his point across. I- I thought you knew, Zee. I'm sorry..."
"It does not matter anymore, I suppose," she said, and she swallowed. "I am sorry that he had to hear that."
"He's still worried," she told her.
"He tasered me," Ziva said. Abby looked at her. "There is nothing for him to be worried about. I am perfectly fine. Tony is the one we should be concerned about."
"Is that what you were thinking about?" Abby asked, and Ziva settled down on her pillow and took a breath. She had been thinking about Tony. She wished that she could go see him...
*~.~*
"Ahh," Tony sighed as he felt the pain immediately cease. "What did you give me?" he asked the doctor.
"Nitroglycerin tablet," he responded.
"Well...wait, does that mean there's something wrong with my heart?" he seemed worried.
"Not necessarily," he answered. "But we're going to run an EKG, some blood tests over the next eight hours to check for enzymes that would indicate if you'd had a cardiac event, among some other things. For now, I'd like you to get some rest. I'll check back in with you later." Tony nodded and stretched his neck.
Moments after the doctor left, Gibbs came in. "Hey, Boss," Tony said when he heard the door open.
"How ya feelin'?" Gibbs said as he made his way to the bed.
"Better then I was five minutes ago," he smirked.
"Duck told me you were having chest pains," he sat in the chair, relieved to see his agent wasn't still in pain.
"Nothing to worry about...hopefully," he said, pursing his lips as he tried to pass it off. Gibbs settled back in his chair, silently concerned. "Listen, Boss," Tony said as he looked down at the blanket that covered his legs. Gibbs looked at him. "I just...wanted to apologize...for how I acted."
"DiNozzo," Gibbs shook his head and looked down for a moment. "You scared the hell outta me," he told him, and Tony looked at him. "But I think I understand what you were feeling."
"You...were scared?" Tony asked with furrowed brow.
"Thought we were gonna lose you," he squinted.
"Thought I lost myself," Tony admitted, looking back down at the blanket.
"Anthony," Ducky came into the room, interrupting whatever else might've been said. "You're feeling better?"
"Yeah, Duck, thanks."
"That's a great relief," he went up to his bedside, glancing for a moment at Gibbs as he held onto the file folder he'd brought in earlier. "I thought I'd let you know the findings of the preliminary autopsy report on Edward Yates, I had Mr. Palmer run for me this morning." Tony squinted at him in question.
"Well I shot him, Ducky. Pretty sure I understand the cause of death."
"As I am aware," Ducky said. "However, the results I found...interesting, for lack of better word, were in the blood tests he ran. It seems in addition to being involved in the Langly case, Yates was wanted for several sexually based offenses. It seems you saved Ziva from a lot more than an emotionally painful experience." Tony shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the previous night and looked at him for further explanation. "Yates' blood came back positive for human immunodeficiency virus."
Gibbs swallowed the bile that rose in his throat from what Ducky had just revealed. Tony nervously scratched at his cheek. "He cut her face... Ducky, she was bleeding. What if..."
"Both of you received an HIV test after we found out. Results will take time. But since both of you had open, bleeding wounds at the time he was shot, both of you have been given Post-exposure prophylaxis, which is a drug that prevents sickness."
"So she'll be okay?" Tony asked, his eyes darting back and forth between his.
"While it's not been proven to work for all high-risk exposures, it has been shown in most on-the-job accidents such as a nurse being accidentally stuck with an HIV infected needle, to stop the infection about eighty percent of the time."
"So you're saying there's a twenty percent chance she could still get sick?" Tony asked and leaned on his elbow as he tried desperately to swallow down the nausea that had suddenly stricken him.
"Please try to calm down, Anthony," Ducky said as he set the file down on the side table and fetched a basin to hand him. "We can't even be certain either of you were really exposed." Ducky glanced over at a worried Gibbs.
"Have you told her?" Tony asked quietly.
"Not yet," he sighed, dreading the thought of giving the news again. Gibbs stood then, taking the file from the table.
"I'll go talk to her," he said, and made his way out of the room...
tbc...