A/N: Aren't you excited? Two chapters in one night! I'm excited!

Washington DC—Bethesda Hospital

Somehow, McGee recognized the scream as Ziva's though it was a sound he had never heard before, even in Somalia – and one he hoped to never hear again.

He was out of the waiting room, gun drawn, before anyone else had so much as stood up. He sprinted down the hall, flashing his badge as a reflex to control the panic. Finally, he made it to Ziva's room. Hesitating only briefly, he went in.

He saw nothing other than a weeping Ziva sitting on her bed, shaking and hugging her legs to her chest in a failing attempt to keep herself together.

Tim crossed the room in two steps, sat gently beside her on the bed, and pulled her into his arms, well aware that while he was not the best man for this job, he had no choice in the matter. There were only two men in the hospital – perhaps the world – who could help Ziva more than he could, but Tony was in a coma, and Gibbs was right by his Senior Field Agent's side, probably remembering his own experiences. So Tim was on his own.

"Ziva, what's wrong? What happened?" His words were dripping with anxiety for his friend.

"It was…nothing… Just a…nighthorse," she said unconvincingly between her sniffles.

"It doesn't look like 'just a nightmare.'"

"It was about…Somalia… And this morning."

Hearing this, he squeezed her tighter against himself, trying to let her know that nothing was going to happen to her now; that it was safe. He too had the occasional Somalia nightmare, but it must have been ten times worse for her.

When her tears had dried, and her sniffling had slowed, Tim stood up with a quiet chuckle. To her accusative eyes, he explained, "I was just thinking that Tony would shoot me if he'd walked in just then. Repeatedly."
His attempt at humor fell. At Tony's name, her eyes swam again, and at "repeatedly" the tears rolled over in waves. "How is he?" she whispered.

He winced at her question, and this did not go unnoticed.

"McGee, I am one person you do not want to lie to. You would be surprised by all of the things in this hospital room that I could fashion into a weapon."

He flinched again, but answered, "Well… He'll be fine, Ziva."

This just made her even more worried. "I did not ask how he will be. I will ask again, how is he?"

"He's in a coma. Drug induced. They'll pull him out in a few days. I'm surprised you didn't wake him up, with all the yelling you're doing."

Both agents turned, surprised, in the direction of the newcomer's voice. They were a bit embarrassed that behind Gibbs were Sam and Callen, and they had been there the whole time. Tim was grateful for Gibbs' interruption, however, because he hadn't had to tell Ziva about Tony's condition.

"A…coma?" Ziva was experiencing conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she was relieved that he was alive. After all, she had witnessed that brutal beating. And yet… she couldn't help remembering Gibbs' coma days. The thought itself terrified her.

"He'll be fine, Ziva. Is there anything you need?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes. May I speak to Abby?"

The LA agents had already left, seeing that there was no danger to be dealt with. As Gibbs left, Ziva caught Tim in the middle of a yawn, despite his efforts to conceal it.

"Do you need a break, McGee?" she asked d him. "You have been quite busy today."

"No, I'm fine," he assured her, another yawn betraying him.

She grinned. "You need rest. Worrying about your coworkers and breaking noses are not very relaxing activities. I doubt you got any sleep at all last night!"

"It wasn't broken! Just a little bloody," he said defensively. "He handled it like a baby, too," he muttered. Ziva grinned.

"He shouldn't have had to 'handle it' at all!" Abby wasn't in quite the same opinion as Ziva on the subject.

"McGee…" Ziva cut in before a full argument took place.

He sighed, giving up. "Take a nonviolent nap. I'm on it."

"And could you also…?"

"Shutting the door," he answered, doing so.

"Was that you screaming? I thought so. What happened? No one got in here, did they? You'll probably be under extra security tonight anyway. I'll stay by your bed if you want, and I'll get Bert, too. I can bring one of my good flesh-eating acids, and you can keep that by your bedside. You know, just in case—"

"Abby! I am fine. I just had a nightmare."

"Oh!" Abby leaned down to give Ziva a hug. "That's awful! Do you want to talk about it?"

Ziva smiled at her friend. "Not today. It is too soon… I do not want to relive it. Besides, I think it is a talk I should have with Tony first."

Abby hugged her again sympathetically. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Ziva fidgeted, which was very unusual for her. Abby waited patiently. Finally, Ziva spoke. "It is about…McGee and Eric."

Abby's expression hardened. "If you're going to tell me I can't do anything to fix whatever it is between them, and that you won't tell me what it is, don't waste your breath. I heard the same thing twice already."

"Do you really not have any clue as to why they do not like each other, Abby?"

"No! And I'm getting really tired of all the secrets!"

"I will not tell you outright, Abby, but I will tell you this: they feel the same way about each other as you did about Susan Grady. Remember? You told me about that night you went down to your lab, after her other workplace was blown up?"

"Of course I remember! I wanted to… I need to talk to Tim."

"Wait, Abby... Can I warn him first? He might not hate me as much if I tell him beforehand."

"He won't hate you, Ziva, but sure."

Tim entered her room with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What did you say to Abby?" he asked. "She looked…dazed. And she's a hard person to confuse, even if you are an ex-ninja."

Her eyebrows went up, and he revised, "A…stealthy killer like yourself!"

"Well…"

He eyed her apprehensively. She wasn't one to show weakness in any form, even a loss for words.

"I think…"

"Ziva… What did you say to her?" he demanded.

She took a deep breath, and finally admitted, "She knows, McGee."

"Knows what?" he asked, suspicious.

"The reason for your silly feud!" she exclaimed.

"That wasn't your secret to tell, Ziva," he told her darkly.

"It was hardly a secret, McGee," she scoffed.

He glared at her for a few moments before realizing that arguing with Ziva was one of the last things he wanted to do. Tired, he sat down and, his head in his hands, asked her, "Why'd you tell her, Ziva?"

"She was the only one who didn't know, McGee. And I didn't tell her. She figured it out."

"With no help at all from you?" he asked skeptically.

The silence was all the answer he needed.

"Why, Ziva?"

The quiet, exhausted way that he asked the question made Ziva answer. "I… She had to know. With our jobs, tomorrow is a mystery. If we have something on our minds, now is the time to say it. We might not get another chance."
"What brought this on? You've been kidnapped before, and Saleem held you a lot longer and tortured you. Why…?" The answer suddenly came to him. "It's because of Tony, isn't it?"

She turned her head away as a tear rolled down her cheek.

His voice dropped until it was barely audible. "You love him, don't you?"

She nodded tearfully. She couldn't find her voice to confirm it aloud.

"Ziva, you will have your chance to tell him. I promise you, he will wake up. And when he does, yours will be the first face he wants to see. So focus on getting better, okay?"

She nodded again and he turned to go find Abby.

On his way out the door, he paused, and said with a grin, "You know, you are one person I never expected to play matchmaker."

She let out a small, wet giggle, and he left the room, dreading his next conversation.

Tim took a deep breath as he left Ziva's room.

What do I say to Abby?

He paused outside the waiting room. Abby saw him, and politely excused herself. Eric's eyes flitted between the two, his expression clouding over, and he looked like he was going to say something. But he didn't, and Abby joined McGee in the hallway.

They walked in silence until they came across an empty waiting room. They turned into it and, still standing, McGee began to speak.

"Abby, I – "

She shook her head vehemently. "No, McGee, stop."
"But I – "

"Look around you, McGee! We're in a hospital. Your best friend is in a coma. This is not the time or the place to be discussing this."

"Then why did you come with me?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Because I – I don't know, Tim." She no longer bore the confidence she was known for. The stress of the day had caught up with her. "I don't want to do this, Tim; I don't like having to choose."

His heart almost broke to see the tears in her eyes, and he pulled her into a hug. "I know, Abs, and I'm sorry I was the one to put you in this position." Except, he wasn't. Ziva was the one who told her. But his guilt was still overwhelming.

"I just need to know one thing…" she said, pulling out of his hug to look at him.

"What?" he asked, though he had a feeling he already knew.

"Is it true?"

He took a deep breath. He wasn't going to back down; she needed to know. "Yes, Abby. I l—"

"You know what," she said, cutting him off quickly, "you look tired. And I'm sure Jethro's hungry. Why don't you go home?"

"Abby, you asked!" he called to her, but she was already speed-walking away from him.

"See you tomorrow, Timmy!" she yelled over her shoulder.

She returned to the waiting room, cheeks still damp, alone.

"What did he do to you, Abby?" Eric asked, both concerned for her and angry at McGee.

"Chill, Eric," Sam ordered.

Gibbs silently walked over to her and gave her a hug. As his arms went around her, she broke. The stress of the day with Tony and Ziva, as well as her conversation with McGee, was all too much to handle. Keeping one arm around her, he guided her out into the empty hallway, and they sat down on the floor.

"What happened, Abs?" he whispered.

"Ziva told me… that Erica and Tim have been fighting… over me. So I… asked Tim… if it was true… and he… he almost said…"

Gibbs understood without her saying another word, for which she was grateful. She couldn't bear to say it, or hear it, out loud.

"It's all right, Abs, he reassured her. "You'll figure it out."

"I don't want to choose, Gibbs. I don't want to choose."

Washington DC—McGee's Apartment

"There you go, boy," McGee said, placing Jethro's bowl on the floor. As he straightened up, someone knocked on his door.

He opened it, and wasn't surprised to find Gibbs standing there.

Letting him in, he said, "I know why you're here, Boss. You're going to give me a headslap for breaking one of your rules. And, I know, it's not just any rule, but Rule 12, and it's not just any co-worker, it's Abby. I know she's your favorite, and you probably hate me right now, but—" He sighed. "It might not even matter anyway. She could still choose Beal.

"I'm trying to tell myself that I only want her to be happy… but, Boss, what if she chooses him? Would one of them transfer? I can't even imagine coming into work and not seeing her everyday, but it'd probably be just as bad seeing them together.
"You don't even have to tell me I'm being selfish; I know I am." He sank into a chair and put his head in his hands. "What am I going to do?"

He felt a fatherly grip on his shoulder, and looked up.

"I didn't come to yell at you, McGee. Abby might be my favorite, but I came to see you, to make sure you're okay, and tell you I'm proud of you."

"Proud?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah, Tim. Tony was as good as dead when we got there, but you still just went into the ambulance with him. Then you helped Ziva get over that nightmare. I heard that scream; it couldn't have been easy. You're a good man, Timothy, and you sure proved it today."

Tim sat back in his seat, stunned.

"And, to answer your question, there's not much you can do until Abby decides."

McGee groaned, and halfway through it turned into a yawn.

Gibbs clapped his hand on McGee's shoulder again. "Get some rest, Tim. I know it'll be hard to sleep tonight, but if I see you at the hospital before ten o'clock tomorrow morning, I'm sending you right back home. Got it?"
"Got it, Boss," he answered through another yawn.

"Good. And one more thing: I hope she picks you."

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww! You should have seen me writing this scene. It must have taken me about five times as long as it should have, because I had to stop and say, "This is so cute!" and "I wish Gibbs would actually say this!"