Author's Note: Ola! The last chapter was so short. I think I got too excited on writing that chapter that I rushed it. There was supposed to be additional stuff in it but because I was too hyped, look at what happened! Tsk, tsk. I'll just scatter them on the future chapters. =(

(OMG. The premiere episode of NCIS season 7 was amazing. The second one was great as well! All of you have to watch it!)

Disclaimer: NCIS and its characters belongs to its producers. It's not mine. All I own are the original characters and the plot.

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Ziva held the oxygen mask to her nose while she breathed deeply. It had only been thirty minutes since they—McGee and her—were admitted to Bethesda and yet, it seemed to her as if she had been sitting there for an eternity. She have already called Gibbs and Tony; they told her they were on their way. But what was she supposed to tell them when they get there? For a moment, it scared her to anticipate how the others would react when they did find out what happened.

"Oh my gosh," Abby gasped with terror while she stood at the foot of Ziva's bed. Ziva turned her head towards Abby, snapping out of her reverie, only to be met by an airtight hug. "Ziva, are you okay? What happened?"

"Abby." As Abby carefully let go of her hug, Ziva saw Tony and Gibbs standing behind the Goth with worn out but alarmed expression on their faces.

"Oh, right. That won't happen again," Abby apologized to both Ziva and Gibbs, then started looking around anxiously. "Where's McGee?"

Ziva found it hard to speak. She wanted to answer, but she couldn't bring herself to it. Little by little, exhaustion overwhelmed her. It didn't help that guilt also stepped in. If she have just listened to McGee, if she allowed him to come with her, this would not have happened.

"Ziva?" Tony called, his eyebrows furrowed.

"There…there was...Someone placed a bomb in McGee's apartment and…It went off," Ziva replied.

"But…McGee's okay, right?" Abby asked. "I mean, that's what you said."

Ziva shook her head slightly, her throat suddenly drying up. "He is in the operating room right now. They said that he has a mild head injury and an open fracture on his left elbow," she said, then looked away. "He fell down the stairs because of the impact. He was following me."

Gibbs placed his hands on his hips and allowed his head to fall down a little. Knowing of McGee's condition, anger quickly swelled up in him. He could have done better than assume that Ziva and McGee would be safe. Having had the encounter with Landon two years ago, he should have made a better judgment. Gibbs knew that he was one of those to blame.

Abby was gently shaking her head, her eyebrows slightly creased, and her lips quivering. She tried to convince herself that what happened was not true, but she couldn't. All she could do was hope that McGee would turn out fine.

Tony's hands balled into fists. McGee could have died because of that bomb. And even if that didn't happen, the incident still left the younger agent in a dangerous situation. Tony knew who attempted to take out McGee, but he chose not to say anything for the moment.

"He knows where we are, Gibbs," Ziva added, affirming Tony's thoughts. She slid her hands inside her left jean pocket, then handed Gibbs a folded piece of paper. "He was there earlier. He left this note."

Gibbs read the message, Tony and Abby looking over his shoulders. YoU wIll LoSe eVEryThing. "Landon," Gibbs declared.

"That psycho! What does he want from us?" Abby asked, outraged.

Tony chuckled. "If I catch him, I'm going to put him in the very worst situation he'd ever been in his life," he promised.

"He's messing with the wrong people," Abby said.

Gibbs shook his head slightly. "No. No one's going after him but me," he said, gripping the paper in his right hand tighter. Tony and Abby both opened their mouths to argue, but Gibbs spoke again. "Everyone might still be a target. I don't want to risk any of you."

"But, boss, we can't just let him get away with what he did to McGee!"

"I know, and I won't," Gibbs answered. "But I don't want anything to happen to the rest of you."

"Nothing will, Gibbs," Ziva answered, instilling another pause between the four of them.

"Yeah, Ziva? How sure are you on that?" Gibbs asked.

"Because the bomb was detonated when I was out of the building," Ziva responded. "And that note. I found it in McGee's car after I took my bag. In the driver's seat. It wasn't there when McGee and I got off."

"So what you mean to say is…"

"McGee's the target. Not us."

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She touched the smooth petals of a black rose with a smile in her face. McGee survived. It was a disappointment, sure, but she thought that maybe it was better that way. He got what seemed to her as injuries, and that was enough for a consolation.

She only hoped that McGee would understand why she was doing this. It was for his own good. She planned it all because she loved him. She cared about him a lot! Even if some say that her admiration have gone far, she believed that their accusations were lies. There was nothing wrong with protecting someone you love from harm.

There was nothing wrong with protecting McGee from the world.

Landon. Landon had been a big help for her. It made her guilty that she had to lie to him, but she wished that he would also understand. She was doing it for a better cause. She was doing all of these for the three of them.

She took the black rose from the vase, ignoring the sharp thorn that was piercing her finger. "I'm sure he will like you," she whispered to the flower. "You'll be McGee's favorite."

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"Wake up. You have to wake up, sir." McGee slowly opened his eyes and found himself inside a hospital room. He could smell the alcohol-washed floors and the all-too-sterile furniture surrounding him, and it made him sicker. Shielding off the blinding lights with his right arm, he tried to sit up. Before he could, the room started spinning out of control, causing him to fall back down. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," the male nurse told him.

McGee turned his head to the speaker's direction. He was standing beside his bed, holding a small cup of a blue green substance in his right hand, patiently waiting for him 'til his ready. McGee noticed that he was wearing an all-white uniform, like the other nurses he have seen in Bethesda before. However, he also had a surgical mask on. Somehow, it made McGee uneasy. "Is my condition that bad?" McGee asked, subtly gesturing to the mask.

The nurse shook his head. "No," he chuckled . McGee simply nodded. "And I'm sorry to wake you up, but the doctor said that I need to because of your head injury. You also have to take this antibiotic for the fracture."

McGee nodded. "What happened to Ziva? Is she okay?"

The male nurse's eyebrows creased as he handed the small cup to McGee. "Who's Ziva?"

"She came with me here in the hospital," McGee answered, then downed the medicine in one gulp.

"Oh. She, uh, she's fine now," the nurse answered. "You're workmates were here hours ago and saw her."

McGee's jaws tingled because of the medicine, and its bitter taste made him wince. "How many times do I have to take that antibiotic?" he asked. He felt that something was wrong, but he dismissed it as an effect of the medicine.

"I don't know. Maybe three weeks or so?" the nurse answered, then laughed. "That bitter, huh?"

"Much worst than that," McGee answered. He was still feeling giddy but this time, he felt drowsy, too. "Do I have to be awake for a time, or can I go to sleep now?"

"Might be better if you stay awake for some more minutes," the nurse answered. "If you want, you can talk about something to keep you off from falling asleep."

The idea sounded good, so McGee thought of things he could talk about. He considered talking about his profession and why he chose it but after a while, it sounded like a bad idea. His mind went next to his family. But then again the nurse might think that it's too personal.

"We can talk about Lisa," the nurse suggested.

Lisa? "You mean Ziva?" McGee asked. The nurse shrugged. "I work with her," he said. "She's also a friend. Actually, she's mad at me."

"Why?"

"I did something that she didn't like," McGee answered. As he thought of Ziva, he also remembered the incident from last night. After he closed the door, he became uneasy of letting Ziva go out by herself. That's why he followed her. Then there was that explosion that sent him ten steps down the stairs. It probably destroyed all of his properties: his computer, his typewriter that his dad gave him… "Oh no. Jethro," McGee mumbled gloomily. "The explosion probably killed him."

The male nurse, who had his back on him and was facing the closed door, seemed to freeze. "I'm sorry to hear about your dog," he said quietly.

McGee sighed. "I didn't even see him when I came in," he lamented. "Abby wouldn't be…Wait a minute. I didn't say anything about Jethro being my dog." The male nurse turned around, his eyes more distinct.

The nurse, seeing that there was no other reason he could give, removed his mask. McGee's heart began to beat faster as he saw who it was. "Landon?" Suddenly, he became giddier and drowsier. Then, he remembered the medicine he took, and it scared him to guess what it was.

"Hello, Agent McGreggor," Landon said.

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Yes. That ends our junky chapter. I admit the horrible grammar in here, so I'm just hoping that the story was not that raggedy for y'all. I'm also hoping that you guys will leave reviews for me. That would be nice. =)

Peace! XD