A/N: Hey! This story is about to wrap up, maybe about 3 more chapters. Then I will work harder on Justified Injustice and Lies and Double Lives. But right now, I'm on a mission to finish this by Thanksgiving. I do have school and other things to do, but I am so close, so writing will take up all of my free time (when I'm not watching NCIS, of course!).

Washington DC—Bethesda Hospital

Two nights passed. Gibbs had only left that one time to talk to Tim. Tony was still asleep, but Ziva was much better, walking around the hospital. Her nightmares persisted, but none were as bad as that first one.

It was agreed that the kidnappers were Gibbs' to interrogate, so they were still in NCIS custody, awaiting their questioning. No one really cared about their discomfort except Eli David; Director Vance was doing his best to avoid an international incident – more international incidents.

The third night, however, as he was talking to Ziva in Tony's room, a nurse came in to kick him out.

"I'm not leaving him," Gibbs growled.

"Sir, I'm afraid I'm not asking."

He glared at her, and she apologetically continued, "We broke the rules the first two nights by letting you stay; you're not helping anyone by staying here, least of all yourself. And he won't be waking up until tomorrow," she added, as if it made a difference.

"He's not the only one I'm staying for."

Ziva took the nurse's side. "Gibbs, I'll be fine if you go home to sleep tonight. My nightmares really are getting better."

Gibbs rose; he knew when he'd lost. "All right. G'night, Ziva."

"I'll see you in the morning, Gibbs."

He glanced once more at Tony lying still on the bed, then left.

Washington DC—Gibbs' Basement

An angry hammering filled Gibbs' basement. Even when he had to pull his hand back, the noise echoed off the walls. So it's no wonder that he didn't notice Abby right away.

When he did, he straightened, wiped the sweat from his brow, and asked, "What's up, Abs?"

She glared at him. "'What's up, Abs?' 'What's up' is that you've been avoiding me for two days! You've barely even looked at me… And I need you, Gibbs."

He put down his hammer to walk over to her and give her a hug.

"It's all right, Abs…"

"No, it's not all right! Nothing is all right! Tony and Ziva are in Bethesda – Tony's in a coma! – and… and you're here. Why are you here, and not with them?"

"The nurse sent me home," he said simply.

"And you listened?" She couldn't believe it.

"I didn't have a choice; she and Ziva ganged up on me."

"Oh."

"So why are you here, Abs?"

"Right… I'm here because I need you to remind me that Rule 12 exists for a reason, and that breaking it would be a huge mistake; like, huger than huge; like, galaxy-sized huge."

"I can't say that, Abs."

"Why not? You're Gibbs! You can do anything!"

"Because then I'd be breaking one of your rules. Rule 1: Never lie to Abby."

"So, you want me to pick one." She wasn't accusing him; she was asking him what he thought she should do.

"No, Abs, that's not what I said. I just want you to be happy. I don't care if you choose McGee, or Beal, or Palmer, or nobody. I'll support you, whatever you do."

"That doesn't help me, Gibbs."

"I know, Abs, but it's the truth."

"What am I going to do?"

Washington DC—Bethesda Hospital

Gibbs came back early the next morning, but he didn't really care about "proper visitation hours." To him, they were suggestions, suggestions to be ignored. He had two agents in there, and one was in a coma. He was supposed to wake up today, and Gibbs would not miss that. If he had to hold his weapon to the nurse's head, no one was kicking him out today.

He walked into the hospital without incident. The nurse who'd made him leave the night before noticed him, but she just shook her head at him when he nodded a good morning. He took that to mean he was free to keep going.

He entered Tony's room, only half surprised to find not one, but two of his agents sleeping there. Ziva was dozing in the chair, her hand closed securely around Tony's. He relaxed against the door frame and took a sip of his coffee. He wished he knew how to work the camera on his phone; Tony would have wanted to see this… not that he ever would have admitted it. Gibbs shook his head. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

Because he learned from you, a voice in the back of his head told him. Gibbs sighed. Ziva would deny this, Tony wouldn't believe it, and telling anyone else about it would be betraying his team. So he just stood there, enjoying what Ziva wouldn't let herself, and what Tony couldn't, drinking his coffee. When his cup was empty, he tapped her on the shoulder.

She jerked awake, ready to kill her attacker until she realized it was only Gibbs. She smiled sheepishly. "Good morning."

Gibbs was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that she had dropped Tony's hand. Well, so much for that…

"Morning. You sleep like that all night?"

"Well…"

"Come on. You're going to bed. A real bed, not another chair."

"But, Gibbs –"

"No buts, Ziva. You need your rest. I promise, if I hear anything, I will come and wake you up."

She would have argued, but she was too tired to win. Instead, she said, "All right. But I'm just sleeping until the others get here."

Her sentence was punctuated with a yawn, and Gibbs grinned and said, "We'll see."

She trudged back to her room, and fell asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Abby showed up about an hour later, in a particularly disheveled condition. Gibbs' eyebrows rose, but he had the common sense not to say anything about the lack of pigtails or makeup. She was wearing a huge t-shirt and sweatpants, which he hadn't even known she owned.

She sat on the arm of Gibbs' chair without a word, and they both sat there, listening to the hums and beeps of Tony's machines, watching the covers rise and fall.

Finally, she broke the silence. "I made my decision, Gibbs."

He raised his eyebrows again, but he still said nothing.

Still staring at Tony's too-still form, she continued, "I've decided that I'm not going to choose. At least not now. I mean, how am I supposed to think about anything other than Tony? Look at him!" her red-rimmed eyes filled with tears, again. "I just can't think right now. Besides, I'm still mad at Tim. If he hadn't left…"

"If he hadn't left, Tony would have found a way to get him out of there anyway. Or he'd be in here, too," Gibbs told her gently.

Before she could reply, a third figure entered the room.

"Morning," said an unkempt McGee, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed.

The other two nodded at him, as if they hadn't just been talking about him. It was clear that none of them had slept well last night, so no one saw the need to talk about it. They stayed there for a long while, engrossed in their own thoughts. Gibbs was thinking about repealing Rule 12, because, after this awful case, he just wanted his team to be happy. Abby was thinking about what Gibbs had said, knowing that he was right, and thanking God that it wasn't Tim's bed they were all crowded around. And Tim was wondering why Tony had asked him to join him in the ambulance, and if Tony would even remember anything when he woke up.

In another half hour, the doctor came in.

"He should be awakening within the hour. When he does, we ask that someone please alert us, and that he only has one visitor at a time."

Everyone agreed, then turned their attention eagerly back to the bed.

"Hey, McGee, can you go tell Ziva? I told her I'd wake her up if we heard anything. And, if she asks, you two just got here."

The tension in the room was tangible. Eagerness and anxiety buzzed through four of the bodies, waiting for a sign of life in the fifth.

Gibbs hadn't moved from his seat, absentmindedly fingering his empty coffee cup. Abby was still perched on the arm of the chair, watching Tony so intently that she was barely blinking. Ziva stood on the opposite side of the bed, leaning against the wall, her fingers twitching as she fought to keep herself from holding Tony's hand. McGee was by the door, feeling as if he didn't belong, as if he had personally done this to Tony. He didn't know that Gibbs and Ziva felt the same way.

25…30…35…40 minutes. The ticking of the clock seemed to get slower and louder; it taunted them more with each passing second.

Then Abby saw it: an incredibly small spasm in Tony's face. She sat up a bit straighter, and edged closer to the end of her seat. The others, seeing this, began to focus harder as well.

When his eyelids began to flutter, McGee left the room, his bright smile taking up most of his face. Abby walked out as well, but not before planting a kiss on Tony's forehead.

Ziva looked at Gibbs and sighed. She knew they had all agreed that he should be the one to talk to Tony first, but that didn't mean she liked it. She peeled herself off the wall, gave Tony's hand a small squeeze, and then followed McGee and Abby.

Tony's eyes opened just as the doctors rushed in. He was instantly bombarded with a series of questions: "How do you feel?"s and "Can you…?"s flew from the doctors' mouths with amazing speed. Finally, the doctors decided that he was okay, and they left.

Gibbs rose to stand by his agent's bed.

"You look… almost as bad… as I feel, Boss," Tony gasped.

"That so? Well, worrying about my agents tends to do that to me."

It took a minute for the plural agents to get through the foggy medicine barrier into his brain, but when it did, Tony was instantly serious.

"Ziva?"

"She's fine. We got her at the airport, thanks to you."

"They got her…thanks to me," Tony countered. "If I'd been…paying more attention…"

"Don't think that just because you've got a head wound I won't smack you for being stupid, DiNozzo."

"Course not, Boss… Can I… see her?"

"Sure you can, but not yet. There are some things that need to be taken care of first."

"Like what?" Tony demanded. "Boss, there is nothing more important to me right now –"

"How about McGee?"

Tony paled. "What happened to him? Please tell me he's okay, Boss; I really can't take much more of this…"

"He'll be all right after you talk to him. He blames himself."

"But –"

"I know, DiNozzo. But he doesn't. Telling him is your job, not mine."

"Yes, Boss," he answered.

Gibbs grinned at his reluctance. "You'll live, Tony."

They let that linger in the air for a few minutes, relishing the certain truth in that statement which hadn't been there for the past few days.

You'll live, Tony.

A/N: Well? What did you think? I was so happy when I finally got to his waking up. The next chapter is almost done, and I'm working really hard to finish it. I would really love to hear your thoughts. Yes, you can be honest!