AN: Hey people! I meant to update earlier but you know… life gets in the way sometimes. But here's the long awaited Chapter 4. PS: This is a Tiva fic, so if you don't like that pairing… stop reading from here. XD
Chapter 4
"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby yelled, running as fast as a girl in big black platform boots could.
Gibbs sighed, "Hey, Abs."
"I left bowling early cause you said it was an emergency and to come to the hospital quickly. I left as soon as I could, we were in the fifth frame, Sister Rosita really had her game going on. But since you said hospital I knew it had to be important because no one just goes to the hospital for fun, unless of course you're one of those crazy people that only think they're sick when they're really not! Those people are kinda creepy, you know- "
"Abs," Gibbs sighed again, "It's Tony-"
"Tony? Is he okay? Where is he? Did the plague come back? What happened?-" Abby was once again cut off, this time by Gibbs gently putting his index finger on her lips.
"Abby, Tony was shot today, twice," Gibbs told her calmly.
Her big eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth, "Is he okay? How's our Tony-boy, Gibbs?"
"We don't know how he is yet."
"We don't know yet?" Abby screamed.
"Abs, sit down," Gibbs said.
Abby reluctantly sat down, crossing her arms over her chest. Gibbs smirked slightly at her position before sitting down in the chair next to her, putting on a serious face.
Abby looked at him expectantly.
"He was shot twice, as I said before, in the chest while he went after Ziva who was interviewing neighbors," Gibbs said, "He… stopped breathing while we were there. All I know now is that he's in surgery."
Tears cascaded down Abby's face as she pulled Gibbs towards her, hugging him tightly. She stuffed her face in his shoulder, "Tell me he's gonna be okay, Gibbs," she said.
Gibbs remained silent.
Abby pulled away and punched him hard in the arm, anger flaring in her big eyes, "He's going to be okay, Gibbs!" She said as more and more tears started streaming from her eyes and down her cheeks.
Gibbs pulled her into another hug, "Shh, Abs, he's going to be fine," he said and kissed her temple.
Abby nodded into his shoulder, "He has to be, Gibbs."
Gibbs nodded and remained silent.
~~N~C~I~S~~N~C~I~S~~N~C~I~S~~N~C~I~S~~N~C~I~S~~
Timothy McGee and Ziva David both walked back into the waiting room. Ziva had once cup of hot tea and sat down without a word next to Gibbs. McGee wordlessly handed one of the coffees in his hands to Gibbs and sat down next to Ziva.
"Ah, Jethro," Ducky said, entering the waiting room with Palmer not far behind.
Gibbs stood up and shook Ducky's hand, "Hey, Duck."
Ducky patted Gibbs' shoulder and Gibbs sat back down.
"Any news on Anthony, Jethro?"
Gibbs said nothing and shook his head.
Ducky sighed, "I'll see what I can do," he said and walked behind two double doors.
Gibbs took a long sip of his usual black coffee that McGee had given him, "Oh, thanks for the coffee, Tim."
Thanks? Tim?
McGee shook his head, the feeling of how serious this actually was finally hitting him like an 18-wheeler truck.
"No problem, Boss."
And the team remained silent.
~~N~C~I~S~~N~C~I~S~~N~C~I~S~~N~C~I~S~~N~C~I~S~~
The next time they saw Ducky was about three hours, and ten coffees later.
Ducky walked back out the same double doors he had entered before; he was now wearing light blue scrubs with bright red blood splattered across the shirt.
The whole team immediately shot up out of their seats and made a semi circle around the front of Ducky.
Ducky sighed, "Let's take a seat, shall we?"
"We've been sitting for three and a half hours, Duck," Gibbs said to him lowly.
Ducky nodded, "Very well," he took a deep breath, "Dear Anthony is stable," relief flooded the team's faces and Ziva's heart finally started beating again, "But, he is not out of the woods yet. As you know, Anthony was shot twice. While it looked as if both hit his chest, while in reality one bullet hit his shoulder, which we were able to remove without complications. It will be fine with physical therapy. The other bullet is what caused the other issues. The bullet entered his lung and left no exit wound, we were able to remove is successfully in the operation, but soon after we removed it, we lost Anthony on the table, but were able to revive him.
"Since Anthony's bout with the plague, at the moment he's at a great risk for pneumonia which could cause major complications on his already scarred lungs. Anthony is also hooked up to a ventilator at the moment. He can barely, if not at all, breathe on his own at the time. Anthony is in room 403 in the Intensive Care Unit."
The team stared at Ducky blankly, still digesting all the information they had just received. Tears were steadily streamed down Abby's cheeks. Ziva's face was showing real emotion, devastation, worry, throwing her no-emotion-Mossad-training out the window.
McGee was staring at the stainless hospital floor, not bearing to look up and look at anyone else's face, not wanting anyone to see his.
Gibbs was the first to recover, "Overall prognosis?"
"Anthony is a fighter, as we all came to learn, Jethro. I have high hopes that he will recover, though it will be quite a long and tiring battle."
Gibbs nodded.
"Only two can go in and see him at a time," Ducky told them.
"McGee, Abby," Gibbs said, nodding towards Ducky.
It was Ducky's turn to nod, "I'll show them to Anthony's room," Ducky said, patting McGee's back, "Oh, where is Mr. Palmer?"
"Sent him home, he looked tired," Gibbs answered.
Ducky nodded and led a hysterical Abby and a shaken McGee towards a different set of double doors, hearing Ducky's mumbled words of, "Don't be alarmed by the amount of equipment…"
Gibbs and Ziva sat back down. Gibbs ran his fingers through his silver hair and Ziva sat down staring at her hands, twiddling her thumbs.
"I know, Ziva."
Ziva's head shot up, "What do you know exactly, Gibbs?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Ziver."
Ziva shook her head, "I do no know what you are talking about, Gibbs."
"Ziva, I know about – "
Ducky re-entered the waiting room, Abby was more hysterical than before, clinging onto McGee's arm while his other was gently patting her on the back.
"That was quick," Gibbs mumbled before getting up to talk to Ducky.
"I'm going to take Abigail and Timothy home, it's been a long day for everyone," Ducky said, "I'm sure you will be capable of finding Anthony's room?"
Gibbs nodded as the trio left the room and the hospital. He and Ziva got up, in search of room 403 in ICU.
They easily found the ICU and after walking for a bit they finally found it. Room 403.
Ziva dove into the room, ignoring all the machines attacked to Tony, just the fact that he was there, alive, was enough for her. She took the seat next to his bed, putting her elbows on his bed and grabbing his hand, she brought it to her mouth and kissed it lightly, before saying something in Hebrew into it, "Ani ohevet otcha."
Gibbs remained where he was, leaning slightly against the doorway to Tony's room. He was hypnotized by the mechanic rise and fall of Tony's chest.
It was utterly silent, except for the hiss of Tony's ventilator, and he was just able to make out what Ziva had whispered into Tony's hand.
"I've been learning some Hebrew, Ziva," Gibbs said, leaving the doorway and gently taking the seat next to Ziva beside Tony's bed.
Ziva, still gripping Tony's hand, said, "This is what you were talking about before, yes?"
Gibbs nodded, "Are you ever going to tell him when he's conscious?"
Ziva shook her head, "I cannot, Gibbs. It goes against your rules – "
"Screw my rules!" Gibbs yelled softly, if that was possible, "Now give me a real reason."
"I have none, Gibbs."
"Then what's the problem?"
Ziva put Tony's lax hand to her cheek, "I cannot lose another person I love, Gibbs."
"And you won't."
Ziva nodded and stared at Tony and suddenly shook her head, "This is not Tony," she said, "Tony is full of life, energetic. He does not… not move."
"I know," Gibbs said.
They were both quiet for a moment.
"I love him, Gibbs."
"I know that too."
AN: And that is Chapter 4! I thought it was alright! I liked the ending with Ziva and Tony. Well we now know that Ziva loves Tony, but does he feel the same? Is Tony ever going to recover? And why the hell did that guy attempt to capture Ziva and almost killed Tony?
Well, you'll find out soon enough.
Maybe sooner if you review…
Heh.
Until next time!
~ Goddess of the Flock (Jamie)