Chapter 4:
Gibbs poured a generous shot of bourbon into the old tin mug he kept near his boat in the basement. As he took a swig, he surveyed his handiwork. The boat was nearly done. He couldn't believe it was so close to being finished. He somehow wished for a diversion to prolong the inevitable. Perhaps he would just build another one?
His cell phone rang, and as he picked it up he noticed the call was coming from Ziva. He glanced quickly at his watch, it was getting late. "Ziva?" he questioned as he answered it.
"Ah, no, sorry. My name is Dr Benoit and I'm calling from the ER at St. Margaret's Hospital. We have Ziva David here, she was brought in after a car accident but she is stable and has no apparent serious injuries. I'm calling you as we have her cell phone in our possession, and yours was the last number dialed." Jeanne had never had to make a call like this before and she only hoped she didn't scare the man on the other end of the phone.
"I'll be right there." Gibbs quickly finished the bourbon and put the cup down.
Before long Jeanne found she was listening to dead air. The man had already hung up. "That went well," she mumbled to herself.
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Ziva was lucky. The airbag had caused some of the bruising on her abdomen and chest, as did the seatbelt, but they also prevented her from further injury. Her left wrist was sprained as it had taken the brunt of her weight when her car hit the pole. Her face and bare arms bore minor cuts and abrasions, mainly from the broken glass of the windshield.
Her head also hurt. She found it hard to talk and it seemed to her that she was perfectly coherent when in actual fact, her words were coming out in a muddle. She was confused, wondering where Tony was and why he was late to the restaurant. A flash of nausea washed over her, and she struggled to fight it.
"Tony, where's Tony? He's late." Ziva muttered.
"He's on his way, don't worry." Jeanne tried to soothe the injured woman. She could only assume the man she had spoken to on the phone, the man of few words, was this woman's Tony.
Jeanne was still attending to Ziva's injuries when Gibbs arrived. She dressed her cuts, wrapped her wrist and kept her calm. Despite her condition Ziva liked the meticulous young doctor.
Gibbs arrived inside half an hour of being called, his immediate attention going to Ziva and her bruised face. "She's alright?" he asked Jeanne uncertainly.
"Yes, she is. She will be sore for quite a few days, but her injuries are minor and will heal completely. She was very lucky." Jeanne continued to fill Gibbs in on as much as she could. "We heard an SUV ran a red light. The police caught up with it later and have the driver in custody. He was drunk."
Gibbs nodded. "Thank you." His expression was set. He'd love to have a word or three of his own with the drunk driver.
"I'll leave you two alone. I'm here if you need anything." Jeanne scribbled some notes on Ziva's chart, then left.
"So how are you really?" Gibbs asked Ziva.
"Confused." She said quite coherently. "Can you call Tony for me please?" Ziva closed her eyes; her vision seemed a little blurry. Or maybe it was the lights, she didn't know. She rested her good arm over her eyes. "Thank you for coming, Jethro," she added.
He smiled a lopsided smile as he punched Tony's number into his cell.
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Flopping onto the sofa, Tony was about to open his first bottle of beer. He intended to drink the entire six-pack.
He saw Gibb's cell number appear on his phone as it began to ring. What now?
"Yeah, Gibbs what is it?"
"Nice to talk to you too, DiNozzo." Gibbs voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Sorry Boss, long night." Tony cracked the lid off the bottle of beer and took a long swig. The cap slid across the table onto the floor.
"Ziva's been in an accident. For some reason she asked me to call you."
Tony slammed the bottle down onto the coffee table. He stood up abruptly, his eyes wide. "She's what? Is she hurt? What happened?"
"Whoa, slow down. She's fine, just a few scratches." He looked over at a resting Ziva, hesitant to believe his own words.
"I'm on my way. Which hospital?" Tony was putting his jacket on as he spoke.
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En-route to the hospital, Tony wished he could remember if Jeanne was working tonight or not. Either way, he knew she wouldn't be anywhere near the ER. Her next rotation was at least a week away, wasn't it? He wished he'd been more attentive to her ramblings the night before.
Walking straight into the ER he asked for directions to find Ziva. Within minutes he was directed to her bed. When he reached her he stood still, unable to move. Jeanne was examining Ziva, all the while talking with her and Gibbs. It was all very cozy. It was also a surreal scene that Tony could only imagine the alcohol was creating. Yeah, that's it – I'm drunk and this is a cruel mind trick.
Almost on cue, Jeanne turned around, a huge smile beaming on her face. "Tony! What a nice surprise!"
Still in shock, Tony took a few steps closer.
"Tony?" Ziva was still confused due to her concussion.
"Hey." Tony looked from Ziva to Jeanne.
The smile on Jeanne's face began to fade. "You know these people Tony?"
Tony nodded and gave a nervous laugh. "It's a funny story, actually…"
Gibbs immediately sensed the tension in the small area. He reached his hand out to introduce himself properly to Jeanne who had done a superb job of looking after Ziva. "I'm Jethro Gibbs, and these are my co-workers, Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo, who it appears you already know."
"DiNozzo?"
It wasn't possible for things to be any more awkward for Tony. He quickly pulled himself together. "Yes." He walked over to her.
"You work with these people?" Jeanne asked with disbelief in her voice, backing away slowly.
"Let me explain Jeanne. Its not what you think." Tony replied.
"Then what is it? You lied to me Tony! That is, if that is really your name."
"It's not like that. I had no choice."
"You're just the same as John Carson. He lied to me too."
"John Carson?" Tony asked incredulously.
"Oh so you know him too. Great. Was this just a big joke to you both?"
"It was no joke, please believe me." Tony had wanted to tell Jeanne the truth, and more so he had wanted to tell Ziva all about Jeanne – but not like this.
"Oh my god." Jeanne's body went stiff. Her voice trembled. "You cheated on me, didn't you? With her…" She pointed at Ziva, who only moments earlier had been in her care.
Ziva, meanwhile, looked on in absolute shock. Was all of this really unfolding in front of her eyes while she lay in a hospital bed only hours after being in a near fatal car wreck? She doubted even a concussion could concoct anything so bizarre.
Gibbs sat on the edge of Ziva's bed. His arms folded across his chest, he felt a sense of kinship with Tony. He knew what he was going through.
"I should call John and tell him he can stop laughing now." Jeanne was furious. Hurt, and furious. Plus she felt like she was being made to look like a fool in front of these people, on her first day in the ER no less.
"John is dead, Jeanne." Tony swallowed at the memory of the man dying as he lay in a pool of blood in the alleyway.
"What are you talking about? He only emailed me a few weeks ago. I'd know if he was dead." Jeanne was looking from Tony to Gibbs and back again.
"I was there, I tried to save him." The ball finally dropped for Tony. "Wait a minute – John was your ex fiancé?"
Jeanne was on the verge of tears. "I don't want to hear any more Tony, leave me alone."
Tony looked at Ziva and Gibbs, who were both trying to take it all in. Jeanne brushed past him as she exited the room, trying to hide her tears.
"Jeanne…" Tony called after her.
Gibbs stood and walked over to him, his hand on Tony's arm, "Let her go." He looked Tony in the eye as he spoke, his grip firm.
Tony nodded. He walked over to the bed, wanting and needing to check on Ziva. He inwardly flinched at the bad timing of it all. Ziva did not deserve to find out like this; neither did Jeanne for that matter. He gently touched her forehead, which was beginning to reveal a fairly impressive bruise. "Does it hurt?" he asked, trying to deflect the situation.
"No Tony, it feels like I've been licked by kittens." She pushed his hand away with as much strength as she could muster.
Tony sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"So, I see we've met your 'mystery' girlfriend, yes? Ziva asked quietly, changing the subject.
"Ex mystery girlfriend, Ziva. Ex." Tony's voice was distant.
"I'm sorry Tony. I liked her." Ziva held his gaze. He nodded. The air was thick between them.
Gibbs decided now was probably a good time for him to leave. It was obvious Tony and Ziva needed some time alone. Whatever was going on between them was not going to be solved with him hanging around. Obviously the Director had put Tony in a difficult situation, one that had forced him to have to lie to more people than just him. He understood; he'd been there before. He didn't envy Tony at all.
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Director Sheppard was in a deep sleep when the phone rang. Glancing at the caller display, she didn't recognize the number. It was 4am and she nearly didn't pick up.
"Hello…?" She decided to answer on the last ring.
"I believe you know my daughter. She is very upset. Why do you continue to play these games, Ma cherie?"
Jen's body went stiff. She'd know that voice anywhere. Now fully awake, her voice was cold as ice. "Rene," she answered.
TBC…
Thanks for continuing to read! One more chapter to go…
