Disclaimer: My dog ate it.

New chapter :).

So let me know your views and fave lines. And I'm open to criticism, so drop me a line.

And, in a little bit of shameless self promotion- check out my other fic, Learning Under Pressure, and let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

"Tony? Tony!" She's saying his name over and over, pushing her hands as hard as she can on the wound on his shoulder. She knows it's bad; she's had more than enough experience to know that, however she also knows he has a good chance of recovery, providing he gets medical attention soon.

Better in the shoulder than the heart.

Blood trickles out through her fingers. She looks down at the pained expression on his face. "Do you have your phone?" she asks, increasing the pressure.

He nods. "Yeah, front pocket of my jeans." He's speaking softly, but seems to be okay for now.

She tries to reach his pocket, but can't without pulling her hands from his shoulder. "Can you move your other arm?" she asks.

He nods again and lifts his arm slowly to show her.

"Good," she says. "I need you to hold your hand to your shoulder so I can get to your phone."

He doesn't say anything, just moves his hand to cover hers. She tries to ignore his icy skin as she slowly slips her hands out from under his.

The blood flow increases for a second, but he pushes harder, eliciting a soft gasp, and it seems to slow again. Not wasting a second, she moves to his pocket and pull out his phone. He mutters something, but she doesn't quite catch it.

"Hmm?" she asks, already dialling.

"Nothing," he says. "I just made really great crack about the proximity of your hands and my crot-"

"DiNozzo!"

"-ch, but I guess it's ruined now," he finishes, a ghost of a smile on his features.

She rolls her eyes, pretending to be annoyed, but knows that him joking around is a good sign.

The operator answers after a couple of rings. "911, what's your emergency?"

"Ah, hi," she says, somewhat hurriedly. She places the hand that isn't holding the phones back over the wound. "My name is Ziva David, I am an NCIS Agent. My partner, Anthony DiNozzo, has been shot. Left shoulder."

The operator jolts in activity. "Where are you? We'll send an ambulance."

Ziva rattles off the address.

"Okay, an ambulance is on the way. Is your partner conscious?"

"Yes."

"How much blood is he losing?"

She looks down at her partner; his forehead is clammy and his eyes are drooping. "A lot. How long will the ambulance be?" She's getting edgy.

"Five minutes. Just keep pressure on the-"

His eyes begin to close. She drops the phone and presses her other hand onto his shoulder. "Stay awake, Tony. If you fall asleep now I will kick your ass."

He lets out a weak chuckle. "You wouldn't be a ninja if you didn't."

She can hear the wailing of an ambulance in the distance. "Hold on now, Tony. The ambulance is coming." Her tone has a slight hysterical edge to it, so she takes a moment to calm herself before speaking again. "They are going to help you. And you will be just fine."

"Who are you reassuring, Ziva?" Tony asks, his voice soft and croaky. "Me... or you?"

She is saved from replying when the ambulance pulls up and suddenly everything around her is flurry of activity.

Her hand is in his and she can't, not she won't, let go. The men in the uniforms are talking to her and then yelling at her and she thinks she might be yelling back, but she isn't sure. Then they're asking if she's hurt and she isn't sure of that either, because this whole thing sure feels painful. She doesn't know at what point Gibbs turns up and Tony is gone and she can't remember when her hand left his, she just can't.

Gibbs spins her to face him as the ambulance flies away and tells her they need to go to the hospital too. He asks her if she is okay, but her mask is already in place so he'll never know. She says the usual, "I am fine," and turns, but he catches her arm in his and she sees the blood. The blood that is covering her hands and her body and her pretty, pretty dress. Her mask slips for a moment so she pushes it back into place, but Gibbs has seen the crack.

"Ziver..." he tries, but she just wrenches her arm from his.

Her eyes are all anger, but her face is blank when she says, "You gave us the all clear, Gibbs. You said it was safe to return. This is on you."

Then she turns again and walks away from him and this time he doesn't stop her.

A/N: Thoughts? Writing tips? Favourite lines? Shall I keep going?

Let me know :).