Tony, McGee and Gibbs sat in the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the "Bethesda Emergency Trauma Waiting Room" in silence for six minutes and forty-seven seconds. Tony had been counting the number of seconds since the EMT's, a few nurses and a couple of Doctors had rushed Ziva into Trauma room 3.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my GOD!" Was heard in the hallway, and that was when Tony was sure that the rest of the team had arrived. He, McGee and Gibbs stood up just as the doors opened and in walked Abby, Jen and Ducky.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." Abby kept repeating as she walked straight into McGee's arms.

"Jethro I demand to know exactly what happened at that crime scene." Jen said as she walked over to Gibbs. She didn't stop until she was standing directly in front of him.

Ducky, seeing that both Gibbs and McGee were busy either comforting or confronting, walked over and took a seat next to the one that Tony had just left.

Tony sat back down.

"Anthony?" Ducky asked timidly.

"Yeah Ducky?" Tony replied, tiredness evident in his voice.

"What happened?"

Running a hand over his face and sighing, Tony turned and looked at the old ME.

"When we got to the crime scene, Banks wasn't there." He sighed again, thinking back to the events that had happened earlier that day.

"We went out to the shed in the backyard and Ziva opened it. Banks was there and he shot her." Tony sounded like he was close to tears now, but when Ducky looked in his eyes, he didn't see anything.

"Well that's quite dreadful! I hope you shot the bastard dead!"

Tony looked at the Scotsman. It wasn't everyday that peaceful Dr. Mallard lost his temper. Tony looked up at the others. They too had a look of surprise on their faces.

"Sorry." Ducky whispered.

Gibbs smiled, chuckled slightly, but as soon as he turned to face the director, that smile vanished and was met with a glare.

"She was perfectly capable to make her own decision Jen. Besides, she's Ziva. She's too stubborn to die."
Jen smiled slightly at this comment. Indeed, her friend was to stubborn to give up this way.

"Jethro is quite right Tony. Ziva wouldn't give up like this, not lying in a bed, she would go out in a shower of bullets. A hail of gunfire. Like one of your movies." Ducky chuckled. "Yes, I'm quite sure that our Ziva David will be back with us soon."

Tony smiled. Ducky was right. Ziva would be back at her desk, annoying him, siding with McGee, making idiomatic reference mistakes, soon enough.
"Thanks Duck. You're right. Ziva wouldn't throw in the towel that easily."

The team sat in relative silence for a few more minutes.

McGee continued holding Abby, Abby kept whispering "Oh my god, oh my god." Over and over again. Gibbs and Jen continued their glaring match. Ducky was staring into space. Tony continued counting the seconds.

1,980 seconds, or 33 minutes, later, a doctor came out into the waiting room.

"Ziva David?"

Everyone stood up.