"Tony! Tony!" said Ziva in a frantic voice. She scrambled from under Tony's heavy body and moved so she could get a look at him. Everything had happened so quickly she didn't know what actually happened. She could remember talking to Mike Franks and then hearing Tony yell for them. The next thing she knew she saw the Russian team that was after Gibbs open fire on Mike and herself. Next she felt Tony's body knocking her to the ground.
Fornell's team had arrived seconds after that and shot at the Russian team taking out both of the gunmen. Two more gunmen had arrived to back up the two that had been taken out. They had exchanged shots with Fornell's men injuring two of his men. The other two Russians were killed in the process. Fornell's other men were off chasing down the last two members of the Russian team.
Tony's breathing was labored as he looked at Ziva. He went to talk but instead coughed up blood.
Fornell was on his radio. "We need back up and medics in here now!" "We've got three agents down." Fornell rushed over to Ziva's side. "Were you hit?" asked Fornell looking at her.
Ziva shook her head no. "My arms was grazed." said Ziva. "Stay with me Tony." "Come on keep your eyes open please." said Ziva.
Fornell moved over to Franks realizing he had been hit as well. "We've got a fourth man down." said Fornell on the radio. Fornell took off his shirt and ripped it to use as a tourniquet on Mike's leg.
Mike groaned in pain. "Tie it tighter." He grimaced in pain as Tobias followed orders and tied the tourniquet tighter.
"Hang in there Franks. The medics are on all terrain vehicles and are heading this way now." "We are going to get you out of here and to a hospital." said Fornell.
"You get the kid out of here before me." "He don't look too good." said Mike. "I've been shot in the leg before I will be fine." "Nothing a bottle of whiskey can't cure." said Mike through gritted teeth.
Gibbs arrived a few minutes later. Gibbs had been several yards away in the tree stand when all of the shooting started. He headed over there worried about the safety of Mike Franks and his team. "What happened Tobias?" asked Gibbs as he ran up with his assault rifle in hand. He stopped talking when he saw Tony lying on the ground with his head in Ziva's lap. Ziva had her hands putting pressure on Tony's wounds trying in vain to stop the bleeding.
Tony looked up seeing Gibbs and then lost consciousness.
"Tony? Wake up. You always were a slacker." said Kate Todd sitting at her desk.
Tony looked around seeing that he was in the bullpen at NCIS headquarters. His hands automatically went to his chest to feel for bullet wounds or blood but there was none to be found. "What am I doing here?" asked Tony looking around. "I was…I was in the woods looking for Gibbs…and then…I got shot and now I'm?" "Am I dead?" asked Tony looking at Kate.
"Well, not yet…you are sort of in between." "I am here to help you. Not everyone gets a second chance Tony but you are being given one. You've got to make the best of it." said Kate.
"Second chance? Make the best of it? What are you talking about?" asked Tony confused. "And what does in between mean?"
"You never were good at following logic if it wasn't in the plot of a movie." said Kate. She smiled at him. "You are in love and you haven't told the person because you are afraid to do it." "When you aren't with her you aren't really living." "You are being given a second chance to actually live life." "Tell her that you love her that she is the only one for you." said Kate. "That is how you make the best of your second chance." "Not all of us get a second chance…hence my being here."
"I can't tell her that I am in love with her. That I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She doesn't want things to be complicated. I don't want to lose her. I can't lose her. Losing Jeanne broke my heart and I love Ziva…a million times more and I didn't even think that was possible." said Tony shaking his head.
"You threw yourself in front of her. You three bullets for her. You are in love with this woman and you need to tell her the truth or you might miss out." "Do you really want to go to the big bullpen in the sky without telling her how much you love her?" asked Kate.
"You always were a know-it-all." said Tony. "What if I confess my love for her and she turns me down?"
"You are stronger than you give yourself credit for Tony. You survived the plague…are you telling me that telling a woman that you are in love with her really strikes that sort of fear into your heart?" asked Kate. "This is the second time you've risked your life to save hers…whether you tell her or not it won't change the fact that you are madly in love with her." "Don't be like me…I let my true love slip away and I died before I could tell him how I felt…" "Don't make the mistake that I made."
Tony was quiet for a minute thinking it over. "You are right. I have to tell Ziva the truth. No matter what her reaction might be..I have to tell her that she has my heart even if she doesn't want it." "But…how do I get back? How do I leave here?"
Kate walked over to him and said "It's easy." "Tell Gibbs, Abby, Ducky, and McGee that I said Hi." "Take care Tony." She Gibbs slapped him across the back of the bed. "Wake up Tony..you've got to wake up." said Kate
"Wake up Tony…you've got to wake up." said Ziva quietly. Ziva was carefully curled up next to Tony in his hospital bed. She had not left the hospital in the three days that Tony had been there in a coma. And she had only left the room twice. Once because Tony had crashed and the doctors forced her to leave and the other time was today when Abby insisted Ziva needed to freshen up and change clothes. Ziva had not been the only person sitting vigil waiting for Tony to awaken. Abby and McGee had been there constantly, only leaving when Ziva threatened them with bodily harm. That threat didn't work on Gibbs. He had been there almost as much as Ziva. Even now he was sitting next to Tony's bedside. Mike Franks had been released from the hospital the day before but had come back to check on Tony.
Tony opened his eyes confused. For a moment he thought it was Kate talking to him but he realized it was Ziva's voice. But there was a strange tinge in her voice. He realized it was because she was crying. He felt her tears falling onto the nape of his neck. "I love you." said Tony groggily. "I love you so much. I never want to be without you."
"Tony?" asked Ziva sitting up in the bed. She hastily dried her eyes looking at his face. "Tony?" said Ziva. "For three days I was so worried I'd never hear your voice again."
Tony forced himself to open to his eyes so that he could look at Ziva. He smiled and said "This is like While You Were sleeping." "Complete chick flick but good acting." said Tony in a raspy voice.
"Tony it is you! Stupid movie references and all." said Ziva. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't hug him because she would hurt him. Instead she leaned over him and gave him an Earth shattering passionate kiss. "Tony we need to get a doctor in here to see you." "You've been sleep for three days." Ziva went to get out of the bed so that she could call for a doctor.
Tony grabbed her hand. "No…I need to tell you something. The doctor can wait." "I need to talk to you now."
Gibbs got up and said "I am going to go find the doctor." "I'll make sure he takes his time getting in here." "I am glad to see that you are awake son." said Gibbs. "I never doubted that you would wake up. I would have head slapped you out if it if I needed to." He smiled a tired smile and walked out of the room.
Tony looked at Ziva and took her hand and said "Ziva I love you. I am in love with you and I have been for a long time now." "Knowing you has made my life better." said Tony. "I want to be with you." "But more than just dating…I want to spend my life with you." "I could make you happy." said Tony.
Ziva looked shocked. She felt the same way about him but she was worried that he was confused. "Tony, you've been in a coma for three days." "I am sure that you are just confused right now."
"I am not confused they can give me a damn MRI to prove that I am sane." "I love you Ziva David. I don't care how many times I have to say it I will keep saying it until you realize that I mean every word I am saying." said Tony.
"No…no, I believe you Tony. I love you too." said Ziva.
"I want you to marry me." said Tony seriously as he looked into her eyes.
Ziva went to answer but a team of doctors and nurses rushed into the room to examine Tony.
His doctor said "Ms. David we are going to have to ask you to leave." "We need to examine Mr. DiNozzo and then send him for tests."
"Okay…Tony I'll be…in the waiting room…waiting." said Ziva picking up her purse from the other chair in the room and walked out of the room. She walked out of the room and walked down the hall to the waiting room. She sat in a chair stunned her legs feeling weak partly from the emotion of Tony waking up and partly from the shock of Tony asking her to marry him.