Author's Note: Okay here is chapter 2. Hope you like it. I know I'm moving a bit slow but I promise it gets better. Please read and tell me what you think. I like feedback.

II

Six hours! It had been six hours since Tony was rushed from the warehouse roof and he still wasn't out of surgery as yet.

Gibbs had gone back to NCIS with the bullet shells they had found on the roof so Abby could get a look at them and was still there pacing like a mad man.

McGee had opted to stay on the roof looking for more evidence even though rain had started to fall hours ago.

Kate had rushed to the hospital and now she was sitting in the waiting room (standing anxiously every time a doctor walked into the room) and now she was beginning to get scared.

She could help think about what horrid things could possible go wrong during the surgery.

The double doors which parted the waiting area and the restricted area swung open and a stern looking male doctor wearing dark blue scrubs walked into the waiting area.

"Family of DiNozzo?" he asked loud enough so that everyone in the room could hear.

Kate quickly jumped up and the man made his way quickly over to her.

"Are you a family member?" he asked her.

Kate shook her head, "I'm his partner," she said in a small voice.

The doctor nodded, "I'm Dr. Ian McCaffrey," he told her. "I tried to repair some of the damage to your partners shoulder but unfortunately the damage was too severe. He lost a lot of blood and during surgery he went under cardiac arrest due to previous complications…"

Kate didn't need a reminder that Tony had had the plague.

"…we were able to resuscitate him and save some of the muscles in his shoulder."

"What does that mean?" Kate asked as the man stopped talking.

Dr. McCaffrey sighed, "It means that we couldn't save Agent DiNozzo's shoulder but due to the presence of good muscle tissue we will be able to perform a complete shoulder replacement."

Kate nodded. She knew that Tony would never be the same, but at least he was alive and he would be getting back use of both his arms.

"Can I see him?" she asked.

Dr. McCaffrey wanted to say no, he should say no because only family was allowed in the ICU and the patient wasn't even awake, but her eyes were so sad as she gazed longingly up at him.

"He is in a drug induced coma and will be kept that way until his next surgery and a while after that because the pain would be too severe to bear if he were awake, so you won't be able to speak to him" he tried to explain to her.

"I just have to see him," she said sadly.

Dr. McCaffrey sighed, "This way," he said leading her through the double doors.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

"Gibbs! He as to be alright, no he will be alright, I mean it's Tony. He survived the Pneumonic Plague," Abby said pacing around her lab.

Gibbs stopped his own pacing to walk up to her, place his arms around her and give her a soft kiss on the cheeks. "He doesn't have my permission to die Abbs," he told her.

Abby smiled and relaxed a little.

She took a seat in front of her computer and started to quadruple check the result of the test she had run on the shell casings.

It was no good, the results remained the same.

There were no fingerprints and no way to trace them back to any specific gun. However, she and Gibbs did figure out that the bullets were fired from a Marine sniper rifle and it was a bit unnerving to hear from Gibbs that a Marine called his rifle a KATE and that Kate could have been Ari's real target.

Abby jumped when Gibbs cell rang.

"Gibbs," he answered, then hung up quickly only after a few seconds. "DiNozzo is out of surgery," he said before quickly turning to leave.

Abby was right behind him.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

McGee got to the hospital the same time as Gibbs, Abby, Ducky and even Palmer. The only difference was that they were dry and he was drenched.

They all walked to the receptionist.

"We're looking for Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," Gibbs told the woman sitting behind the desk.

She typed on her computer for a few seconds and then looked up, "He is Dr. McCaffrey's patient. I'll just page him."

"No need," a voice came from behind them.

They all turned to see a stern looking male doctor walking towards them.

"I'm Dr. Ian McCaffrey," he said. "Are you Agent DiNozzo's family?"

They shook their heads.

"I'm his boss Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and these are his co-workers Abby Sciuto, Special Agent Timothy McGee, Dr. Donald Mallard and Jimmy Palmer," Gibbs told him.

Dr. McCaffrey nodded in acknowledgement before explaining Tony's condition and leading the group to his room.

They all entered the room to see Kate sitting on a chair next to Tony's bedside.

He was in a drug induced coma and he looked so unlike the always grinning trouble making Tony DiNozzo they all knew that it was almost heartbreaking.

Abby rushed to his bedside and threw her arms around his still form, "Everything is going to be okay. You hear me Tony? You aren't going to die," she said into his ear.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Tony heard voices.

They sounded far away but he recognized them as Abby, Gibbs, Kate, McGee, Ducky and even the autopsy twerp Palmer.

He couldn't make out what they were saying but they sounded worried, well everyone except the boss sounded worried.

He wanted to let them know that he was alright but his head felt light and hazy, and he could wake up.

Slowly the voices drifted away and the all too familiar darkness engulfed him once more.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

The phone was ringing.

Nicolai DiNozzo almost didn't answer it. He was up to his neck in paperwork and just didn't want to bother. At the last moment he grabbed up the phone from the receiver.

"DiNozzo!" he answered curtly.

"Aah…uum…sir I'm sorry to bother you…" a nervous sounding voice came over the line.

"Well son you have so speak up," he said only half paying attention to the caller.

"Aah yes sir. My name is Timothy McGee, I work with your son…" the young man said.

This got his full attention. He only spoke to Anthony once a year and only because he made the kid call him to let him know that he was still alive and give him a quick review of his life that year. Something must be up.

"He was shot this morning," the young man continued.

Nico paled, "Is he…Is he dead?" he asked.

"Oh no sir," the young man said quickly, "he's in the hospital. He's in bad shape but he is alive."

Nico released a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Anthony was going to be the death of him.

"What hospital?" he asked the guy.

What did he say his name was again? McCoy?

"Bethesda Naval Hospital," the kid told him.

Nico almost hung up on the boy without thanking him, "Thanks!" he said curtly at the last second.

Nico wasn't on the best terms with his son, but then again the kid was all the family he had.