Disclaimer: Thanks to papillongirl, I now have 60 cents toward the cause, and when I get them for good, she's more than welcome to them, but until then I guess borrowing works.

A/N: Wasn't sure where to go, and I'll try to include suggestions in the story. This chapter has some escalated violence so there's your warning... and I apologize in advance for any medical terms that I use, it's a force of habit... but I'll try to keep them at a minimum. And, as a side note: what jojocat said is very much a possibility, an injury like the one I gave Ziva could quite possibly remove the arm or cause it to need to be amputated. However, I've seen several cases of impalement, and gun shot wounds that have entered at different angles and distances (Including close up) in the shoulder where the victim made a somewhat "full" recovery and could at least function their arm properly. So that in mind, both are a possibility, and depending on the side I take, they'll be medical reasons why Ziva did or did not recover from her injury, once I decide where to take the story.

Summary of Previous Chapter(s): Ziva gets caught in a drugstore holdup and the robbers find out she's law enforcement so they threaten to kill her first if their demands aren't met and they knocked her in the head twice, rendering her unconscious. A little 8 year old girl scout 'befriends' Ziva, and tells her not to sleep b/c she has a concussion. The demands are given and a 2 hour time limit is set, which is not met. Because it's not met, Joel (The lead bad guy), shoots Ziva in the shoulder in front of everyone, and when she is returned to her position (Chained to a pole) she gives in and sleeps to escape the pain of possible hypovolemic shock (Shock from blood loss).

Chapter 3:

In spite of Ziva's fighting smile, Tony couldn't help worrying. He knew a wound like that wasn't usually fatal, but then again... they WERE usually treated and dressed properly. He hated the uncertainty of the whole situation, not only because Ziva's life was at stake, but he knew that there were at least 20 more people there, one of which is a kid.

"She won't let anything happen to that kid..." he thought."...maybe to others, but not to a kid."

Just then, he overheard a woman crying hysterically talking to the C.O.

"My daughter, Sydney, is in there! Please, do something!" she cried.

"Ma'am?" Tony called as she walked away from the command post, still sobbing.

"What? Me, oh, yes, what is it?" She said, trying to pull herself together.

He felt obligated to try to reassure the girl's mother, though he didn't know why.

"Ma'am, that woman who was shot... she's my partner and I know her very well." he began.

"Why are you telling me this?" The woman interrupted.

"Because, I want you to know... that no matter what happens to her... she will do everything in her power to protect your daughter, and the others in that building... she'd give her life for them." he finished, beginning to choke up.

"Thank you." She said, not knowing what else to say, or how to comfort him.

"Yeah." Tony replied, turning away and quickly wiping a tear before it had the chance to fall.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs yelled.

Tony looked around to locate Gibbs, and found him in the crowd, standing by the NCIS truck.

"Yeah, Boss?" He answered.

"We need to talk." Gibbs replied dryly. They went inside the truck and Gibbs shut the door.

"Is there anything I need to know about you and Ziva?" he asked.

"Not a thing, Boss." Tony replied, voice trembling slightly.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs said threateningly.

"Okay, okay! Fine, you want me to say it? Well fine, I love her! I love her like she's my own family! That's all there is and ever has been! We've never dated or anything! Yeah, that's right Gibbs; because of your stupid rules, we never dated, and now she's in that building, injured, and I might not get the chance to tell her! And that's it.! Nothing left to say!" Tony yelled to his superior.

"Okay." Gibbs replied. "Okay, that's all I needed to know. And Tony, she's gonna be okay. She's a fighter, and besides, she told you so." He finished, slightly smacking Tony's head and then opening the door to the van.

Ziva was just about out to the world when she was awoken by the pain in her shoulder. Pressure.

Ziva thought about how if she made it, confessing her love to Tony... and again, at the thought of him, her will to live increased and her pain decreased. But then, she heard a scream from above her. She opened her eyes and saw Sydney, fighting to stay with Ziva, and she heard the gunman laughing and yelling at her.

"If it's her time to go then she's gonna die anyway!" He sneered at the girl.

"No! Stop! Let me help her!" She screamed back.

Ziva could feel her wound bleeding profusely again because the pressure had been released before it could clot. She reached one hand to the other and felt her pulse, it was extremely thready, and when she could get a good read on it, it was very quick. She began to think about her entire team; she thought about the friends that she'd made and wished she'd have let them gotten closer. She began to shiver.

"This is it." She thought to herself. "It's time."

Then, she heard Joel talking on the throw phone, "You want her? Then gimmie proof that you got what I'm lookin' for!" He barked.

The commanding officer came slowly to the front of the store and laid a suitcase full of money at the main entrance, with a phone in his hand.

"How much is that?" Joel asked, slightly calmer now.

"Okay, but ONLY the cop... NO! Not until I get the rest!" He yelled.

Ziva became slowly disoriented and began to fade out.

"Get up, cop." Joel said to Ziva, completely ignoring her shivering and disorientation.

"Please, she can't!" Sydney yelled from across the back isle.

Joel got on the phone, "Well, looks like you're gonna need someone else, cause she ain't moving."

"You have it? Bring it in, with a paramedic. I'll let them take her out if you're so dead set on taking a corpse instead of someone alive." He said smugly.

"Oh yeah, and cop... try anything and everyone in the store is leaving in body bags! Remember, there are more of us than there are of your medics."

Two medics were prepped and ready to enter, with a backboard and 1/2 of the demand money. They were to get Ziva and go, the end.

As they entered, they were met with the barrels of guns.

"Easy... we're not here for that... where's the patient?" He asked, trying to mask his fear... one of his was on the line."

"Follow me." one gunman answered.

They arrived at Ziva's limp body, and though it took a while... they found a pulse.

"Pulse is 45, B.P. is 80/46" One man called out.

But the other wasn't listening. He was only concerned about the patient... and getting her out. They back-boarded her and began to carry her out.

"Pulse is dropping, we gotta move!" One of them said frantically.

A/N 2: I'll probably finish off with the last chapter, and I'll tie up any loose ends.