Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of these characters.
This story is set in an AU where Ari did shoot Kate, but the bullet only grazed her head and she is in a coma throughout season three. And, since this is my story and I can do whatever I want, I've made it Kibbs.
This one is longer than normal, but I really like how it turned out. Thanks to everyone who has been reading since I posted the first chapter. You guys are the best!
After 'Hiatus Part 1'
Ziva couldn't concentrate. She was trying, she wanted to work, she wanted to solve the case, but Abby's accusatory look and hurt tone kept coming back to haunt her. Of course she cared about Gibbs, of course she was worried, but why couldn't Abby understand that expressing her worries would only reveal weakness? And revealing any kind of vulnerability went against everything in her nature. Gibbs would understand, in fact, he wouldn't expect anything less from her. Ziva tapped her fingers on her desk and cleared her throat. Abby and McGee jolted, but Tony didn't react. They were all sleeping, Abby on the floor and McGee and Tony at their desks. It was one o'clock in the morning. Finally, after another moment of silence that seemed like an hour to her frazzled brain, Ziva slammed her hand onto her desk and grabbed her jacket. Gibbs was the only person who would understand, whether he was awake or not. As she swept into the elevator, Tony cracked one eye open and watched her leave. When she was gone, he settled back into his chair and fell back into a restless sleep.
Ziva strode into the hospital, unease that she had, up to now, refused to acknowledge, growing in the pit of her stomach. "I'd like to see Special Agent-" She stopped. No matter how hard she tried, she could not force herself to choke out his name. You have no right to burden him with your problems, a voice, that sounded suspiciously like Abby, was whispering in her heart. More than anything, she wanted to turn and run away, to go home and buy a plane ticket to Israel, to leave and never come back, but her feet wouldn't obey her commands. The nurse at the desk raised her eyebrows, obviously not recognizing Ziva's inner turmoil. Finally, Ziva groaned and leaned forward to rest her forehead on the nurse's desk. The confused nurse leaned back a little, but Ziva didn't notice. "Kate Todd," she finished in a low voice.
"I'm sorry?" the nurse said. Ziva sighed and straightened up.
"I would like to see Special Agent Kate Todd. Is she still in the same room?" Keeping one wary eye on Ziva, the nurse checked her computer and nodded.
"Thank you," Ziva said, sounding exhausted. She took a deep breath and headed to Kate's room, leaving the nurse staring after her.
Ziva stopped in the door. "Hello, Kate. It's Ziva again." For the first time, there was no answer in her head. There was only Kate, the real one, lying still on her bed. "Gibbs is in a coma." Still, there was no response, imaginary or otherwise. "I haven't been to see him. I wanted to, but I-I couldn't-" She paused. "I came to see you, instead." Kate didn't answer. Suddenly irrational anger began to grow in Ziva, and she pressed her fists into her eyes, trying to stop the tears. "Wake up! Wake up now, Kate! We all need you. Tony, McGee, Abby, Ducky, everyone." There was silence, and Ziva allowed her rage to boil over. "You owe me, Kate! I killed my brother to save your fiancé!" Ziva laughed shrilly. "Oh yes, I know. It took me a while, but eventually I thought to look through Gibbs' credit card records and found that he had bought that exact ring." She pointed to Kate's left hand, where a small yet elegant ring was sparkling. "When did he put it on you? It wasn't there the first time I came to see you." Kate didn't answer, but Ziva was on a roll. "I saved him! Ari would have shot him if I hadn't-hadn't-" She burst into tears, all the stress of the past 36 hours finally overwhelming her. She collapsed to the ground and curled into a ball, reverting to her training. She was compromised. She was not fit to fight or to defend herself. "Please, Kate. Please wake up," she sobbed.
A/N: Please review!