Gibbs held his breath in nervous anticipation as the SWAT officers stormed into the bank lobby. The lead NCIS agent could see tear gas wafting through the shattered window, and could hear the muffled shouts from the gas-masked team as they entered the building exactly thirty seconds after deploying the grenades. Gibbs wasn't used to relinquishing control and it seemed like an eternity - but was in reality less than two minutes - before Keller received the all-clear from his men. For her part, Ziva was quietly impressed that the police had managed to completely lock down the scene without firing a single shot.
The lieutenant grabbed three gas masks and tossed two of them at Gibbs and Ziva before putting on his own. They were hot on Keller's heels as the man hurried into the bank lobby. The SWAT team members had already cuffed the gunmen, and several of them were occupied by dragging the groggy - and pissed off - suspects outside. One officer was adjusting the building's air conditioner to try and clear the lobby of the gas, another was opening all of the office windows and two more knelt beside Gibbs' fallen agents. A couple of dead men lay on the other side of the room, one of them surrounded by a pool of his own blood. Lieutenant Keller immediately took charge, shouting commands both over his headset and to the officers inside.
DiNozzo and McGee were hard to see at first. For some reason the tear gas seemed to have concentrated heavily in the area directly around them, although the policemen were doing their best to fan it away. Gibbs and Ziva actually heard their colleagues before they were visible. Tim was coughing harshly through his unconsciousness, but it was the weaker sound of Tony's coughs that they all found particularly worrisome.
One of the SWAT officers was cutting Tony's bloodied hands free and putting pressure on the open gash when Gibbs joined him. Ziva knelt beside Tim as the second cop carefully unbound the junior agent's raw, painful looking wrists. The Mossad officer cringed as she realized how uncomfortable the tight plastic bindings must have been.
"Tony?" Gibbs kept his voice calm in opposition to the anxiety that churned in his gut. "Hey DiNozzo, can you hear me?" His senior field agent did not respond. Tony was very pale and listless except for the occasional fit of pathetic-sounding coughs, and Gibbs could not suppress a flash of panic when he saw the amount of blood that had come from Tony's head wound. "If it's clear, get the paramedics in here NOW," the lead agent growled as he gently pressed his handkerchief to the sluggishly bleeding wound. Gibbs used his other hand to impatiently pull off his gas mask and toss it aside.
"Right away, sir," said the Metro cop. He let Gibbs take over with DiNozzo and radioed the ambulance that was already outside in the parking lot. Within seconds a team of paramedics entered the bank, fully equipped with stretchers and oxygen. The EMTs wasted no time, quickly placing oxygen masks over the noses and mouths of both their patients.
The fresh supply of air had an almost immediate effect on McGee. The young man coughed a few more times before opening his eyes and attempting to lift his head off the floor.
"Ziva?" Tim's voice was hoarse from coughing and his eyes watery from the effects of the gas, but he was coherent. He looked over and saw Gibbs. "Boss. Thank God you're here, Tony's bad. He was really confused and-" McGee was silenced by Ziva's gentle hand on his shoulder.
"We know, McGee," she said softly. "It will be okay. The paramedics are ready to take you to the hospital. I will go with you." Ziva nodded at Gibbs as the EMTs cautiously lifted the young agent onto a stretcher.
Gibbs looked away from his senior agent long enough to watch them wheel McGee out the lobby doors, Ziva at his side. The lead agent allowed a brief smile to cross his face when he noticed that the Mossad officer was holding her colleague's hand. His team had become a family over the years, and it made him proud how much they looked out for each other.
The smile faded as Gibbs remembered the current situation. But this is happening too much lately, the lead agent thought unhappily. McGee and DiNozzo are magnets for trouble these days and after this they aren't getting out of my sight anytime soon. Especially DiNozzo. He looked back down at Tony, pleased to see that the oxygen appeared to be having a positive effect. DiNozzo was still coughing faintly but beginning to stir as the paramedics prepared him for transport.
"Tony? You with me?" Gibbs could tell that his agent was struggling. "Come on, DiNozzo. Wake up," The older man was completely unaware of the pleading tone in his voice.
Slowly the green eyes opened but Gibbs immediately saw that Tony was not cognizant of his surroundings. The uncertainty was clear in the senior field agent's face as he looked at his boss.
"Boss? What happened? Where's Probie?" As with the last time DiNozzo awakened, he became more confused and frantic with each moment. He knew something bad had happened but the fog in his brain wouldn't allow him to remember exactly what that something was. His head really hurt, he knew that much. The rest of him wasn't feeling so great either. "Boss? Probie?!" Tony repeated agitatedly.
"Shh, Tony. Tim's okay," Gibbs soothed the younger man. When he realized that the EMTs were ready to move he continued with, "We'll go to the hospital and see him right now. You ready?" Gibbs looked up at the paramedics for confirmation and at their nods, he stood as they lifted the stretcher. The lead agent kept a gentle but reassuring grip on Tony's upper arm as they moved toward the waiting ambulance.