An hour had passed since they had returned from the crime scene and Ziva was still alone at her desk, trying, and failing, to write up her report. She couldn't concentrate long enough to type more than a sentence. Every time she tried, her fingers hovered over the keyboard, her thoughts moving away from the facts of the case and onto the more personal aspects. What wasn't helping was that her entire team were conspicuously absent.
Tony had returned briefly from his meeting with the director earlier, shared nothing with her, not that she had asked mind, then left again without saying anything. Tony was always saying something, in fact the only time he held back was if he was under orders, and sometimes not even then. Gibbs she had not seen since she informed him of Tony's whereabouts and McGee was probably still down in Abby's lab, though what could be taking him so long to drop off a caf-pow was beyond her.
Ziva pushed back from her desk and sighed. Though not usually one to except defeat or look for comfort, she couldn't help sensing that everyone was pairing up and consoling each other. Everyone except her, who, after a very trying and quite frankly frightening day, was sat alone at her desk filling in paper work. It was true she did not react in any of the same ways as Abby or Tony or McGee, but that did not mean she didn't want to seek comfort in those closest to her.
Ziva closed her eyes and slumped further into her chair, letting her mind drift, her thoughts took her back to when she and McGee had first arrived at the crime scene.
"That's Tony's car." McGee informed her as she speed around it and into the compound.
Slamming on the breaks outside of the boat shed Ziva clocked the two dead bodies inside and Tony kneeling next to two more bodies by the river. Tony had called McGee, shouted a location and told them to hurry, so here they were and Ziva was not prepared for what she saw.
"Tony! What happened?" Ziva shouted when she got closer to him and saw one of the bodies next to him was Gibbs.
McGee was right behind her and she could hear him on his phone asking for an ambulance. Ziva checked Gibbs, he was unconscious but breathing, and so was the girl. Ziva looked to Tony who had yet to speak.
"What happened, Tony?" She repeated, taking off her jacket and laying it over Maddy.
Tony took a couple of deep breaths, he looked exhausted. "Car went into the water, I pulled them out. Bad guys all dead."
"Ambulance is on its way," McGee joined them.
"McGee your jacket," Ziva clicked her fingers at him, demanding his coat.
McGee stared at Gibbs and Ziva punched him in the knee, "Now, McGee!"
"Yeah, sorry." He shrugged off his coat quickly and handed it to Ziva.
She quickly covered Gibbs with it and then moved over closer to Tony. "Are you alright?"
"Aside from a little chilly, not bad," he spoke with a grin, but Ziva had known him long enough to recognise he was shaken since he had as yet to make a joke or reference a movie.
"You are very wet," she stated, more for something to say, since she was finding it rather difficult to process the situation.
"Kind of expected when you go for a dip in the Potomac," Tony replied, trying to stand.
When he stumbled Ziva was quick to respond and grabbed his arm in support. "Maybe you should stay sitting."
"I'm fine, just a little stiff."
Ziva kept hold of him as he sat back down, she could feel the cold clamminess of his skin, the shivers running through him. She had more questions, but in a rare display of compassion she chose not to harass him at the moment.
"Ambulance is here." McGee announced running back over to them after meeting the medics at the entrance and directing them through.
"We need to call Jenny." Tony spoke, teeth chattering from the cold.
"I've already called Director Sheppard, she's sending Ducky, should be here soon." McGee said crouching down next to Ziva where she was kneeling with Tony.
Gibbs still had his eyes closed, but Ziva could see the rise of fall of his chest and felt confident that everything would soon be alright.
Ducky arrived not long after the ambulance did, with Gibbs, Maddy Tyler and Tony all being seen to Ziva stepped away and began processing the scene. She fetched her camera and started photographing the two bodies Tony told them he'd shot.
"Found this outside," McGee walked up to Ziva, evidence bag in hand.
"That is Tony's." She stated, looking at the gun inside.
"He must have tossed it before jumping into the river." McGee said it casually, but Ziva could see the moment the weight of the statement clicked into place. The same thoughts were going through her head right now.
After that they processed the scene in silence, McGee taking more pictures and Ziva interviewing the few people who had been in the vicinity at the time of the incident. The next thing they heard was Gibbs voice shouting their names. The shock of hearing him for the first time since they had found him unresponsive, combined with the urgent tone, made Ziva sprint immediately into action.
She turned away from the man she'd been interviewing and ran out of the boat shed at high speed. She got over halfway to Gibbs position when she saw them. It was a weird kind of deja-vu, only this time it was Tony who was unresponsive and Gibbs wasn't just sat next to him, Gibbs was holding him.
Signals exchanged Ziva worked out what was needed, "McGee! The nebulizer now!"
McGee, who had been a few feet behind about faced and ran back towards the car.
"Anything I can do?" She asked crouching down next to them.
Gibbs had Tony pulled in close, but she could see the bluish tinge to Tony's lips. When Gibbs shook his head, continuing to talk to Tony, telling him to breathe, Ziva let her knees give out and sat fully on the ground next to them. She had known something wasn't right earlier, but had hoped when Ducky looked him over everything would be okay.
"My dear boy what have we gotten ourselves into this time?"
Ziva got up out of Ducky's way and stood to the side with an ambulance medic who had been watching the whole scene.
Ziva watched as Gibbs pushed Tony back, McGee, who had returned with the nebulizer, helping to support him while Ducky checked him over. Ziva saw that Tony looked a slightly better colour, his eyes where open and she caught his gaze for a millisecond before his attention was brought to the nebulizer being thrust in his face.
"He going to be okay?" McGee asked.
"That depends, Timothy, how long was he underwater?"
Ziva couldn't answer that one and wished she'd asked more questions while they had waited for the ambulance, but at the time she had been distracted with concern.
The paramedic asked Ducky questions about asthma and Ziva tuned them out, concentrating on Tony, watching and waiting for him to improve.
"These two need to get to hospital." The medic spoke again, looking at Ducky.
There was a long stretch where no one spoke, the only noise coming from Tony as he breathed through the nebulizer. She saw the grim line of determination set on Gibbs face and knew he was going to say something she didn't like.
"No." Gibbs declared.
"Gibbs you did almost drown." Ziva spoke up, not missing a beat.
"I said no, and the same goes for him." Gibbs stood and reached down, indicating McGee to do the same on the other side. They hauled Tony up between them. "We're riding with you Duck."
Ziva couldn't believe how unreasonably Gibbs was being, he had been barely conscious less than an hour ago, and Tony clearly needed medical attention. But despite her misgivings Ziva knew better than to argue about it now, normally she would not be quite so docile, but this wasn't any other day or any other crime scene. This was her team, they weren't just the investigators, they were the victims as well.
The very notion was enough to shut her up, her thoughts so conjugated that she almost missed Gibbs' order to get on with processing the scene and hurry up back to the Navy Yard.
And now she was back at the office, alone, and unable to do anything until she got some answers, although it would probably help if she could think of a question first. Shaking herself out of her thoughts Ziva felt now was definitely the time for the breaking of hands. Tired of waiting for someone to return Ziva decided she would do what an investigator does and find out what was going on with her team. Knowing the best person to talk to about other people, Ziva headed autopsy.
…
Ducky had finished taking the x ray and had retired to his office to get a push on the films. He'd not failed to notice Gibbs' departure and was very disappointed in Jethro. Why the man couldn't let go of that gruff attitude and just be who his charges needed him to be once in a while was beyond him. Anthony was hurting physically that much could not be denied. The crackle he heard was most likely an early sign of pneumonia, the tests would confirm that he was sure. But Ducky couldn't ignore what else had happened today.
Upon his arrival at the scene he'd been told that Tony had performed CRP to revive both Miss Tyler and Gibbs'. When he'd given Tony an initial once over Ducky could tell that he was emotionally drained as well as physically exhausted.
Ducky had led Tony to the warmth of the van, hoping to get him out of the cold air.
"You need rest." He said after making sure nothing obvious was wrong.
"I'm fine, Ducky."
Ducky wanted to do what Gibbs would have done had he been there at that moment, a good swift smack around the head to get Anthony thinking straight.
"Young man, may I remind you to whom you are speaking?"
To Ducky's pleasure Tony didn't take that the wrong way and gave a rueful smile, it wasn't his usual cheek splitting grin, but Ducky was happy to see it none the less.
"Is Gibbs ok?" The almost shy tone halted Ducky in his actions of repacking his medical bag.
Tony was still shaking, clearly not functioning well. He really didn't want to upset him further. "Jethro is conscious dear boy, he is with the paramedics."
If they had been discussing anyone else that news would have been a comfort, but they were talking about Gibbs, a man that would have to be near dead to be anywhere near a doctor other than Ducky.
The worry he had seen in young Anthony's eyes he had no doubt mirrored his own at that moment, but there had been little else to be said or done at the time. When he'd left him alone after the x ray Ducky saw the same worry again, adding his insecure feelings over his own health into the mix, Ducky was sure Tony was feeling very low indeed. This was not a normal day and it was certainly not part and parcel of the job either. If Jethro couldn't see that then Ducky knew he would be making him see it in the near future.
With everything in order and with nothing left to do but wait, Ducky decided he'd go and see if Tony would talk to him about the day's events. He hadn't shut the door on his way in, therefore didn't make a sound when he re-entered autopsy. What caught his eye didn't surprise him as such, but it did make him smile. Ducky was pleased Jethro had it him after all and happily left them to it.
…
Gibbs let Tony go and tapped his chin in a, 'you'll be fine' gesture.
"Back to work, Boss, got it." Tony smiled and jumped off the autopsy table, leaving at a jog.
Exiting through the sliding doors Tony came to an abrupt halt when he discovered Ziva stood by the elevator.
"You stalking me, Zee-vah?" Tony said, trying to hide his surprise.
He wondered how long she had been there and what she may have seen. He looked her over trying to find any evidence to suggest she knew something.
"As a matter of fact I have been looking for you." Ziva spoke, without looking at him.
Something was definitely up, her tone gave her away.
"Well you found me. What's up?" Tony decided to play along with the nonchalance, not eager to talk to her about what had just happened between him and Gibbs.
"That was what I was going to ask you." She said, standing straighter, folding her arms.
Tony felt his smile slip, "I'm fine."
"You are?"
…
Gibbs waited for Tony to leave. The sudden change in his demeanour from moments ago was gratifying, and helped lift Gibbs' spirits. Pleased something he'd done today had gone right he let go of the remaining feelings of failure he'd been carrying around for the better part of the afternoon.
"You can come out now Duck." Gibbs called out once the autopsy doors closed.
Ducky walked out of hiding, "You will have to tell me your secret one day Jethro."
Gibbs declined to comment on exactly what secret Ducky was referring too, "He going to be okay?"
"Had you asked me five minutes ago I would have had serious concerns, but now, I have no doubt." Ducky grinned looking very pleased, and then changed tact when the famous Gibbs glare was being aimed in his direction. "Yes, well, on the physical side our boy likely has the beginnings of pneumonia, most probably brought on from inhaling the dirty water. Given his history he really should go straight to hospital. But I know how you, and him, feel about that." Ducky finished slyly, just as Jethro was about to interrupt. "I want to be sure of course, before I make an official prognosis, hence I'll wait to tell him until I have the films back, but caught early enough and treated with antibiotics he should improve within a couple of weeks, barring complications of course."
Gibbs had let the glare drop away and offered a brief knowing smile before turning and leaving the room. He didn't pause when he clocked Tony with Ziva, still stood in the corridor.
"I'm fine." Tony said to Ziva, Gibbs half believed it this time.
"You are?"
"He is." Gibbs interrupted them as he stepped onto the elevator, the glare he sent the pair communicating that they best get their backsides upstairs and finish the paper work if they knew what was good for them.