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It took a minute for Tony's words to sink in. The painkillers that the nurse had given me seemed to be delaying my reactions. "He's dead?" I whispered, my voice not sounding like my own.
DiNozzo nodded, looking down at the well-waxed tile on the hospital floor. "I'm so sorry, Elle," he apologized.
I swallowed hard as tears began to fill my eyes. Weakly, I lifted my hand up to look at the ring that had only been there for an hour now. "Tim...my McGee...is dead?" It seemed impossible. Then it hit me and the tears came raining down. My chest heaved with uncontrolled sobs and I reached out for Tony. He took my hand and I felt him sit down beside me on the bed. He didn't say anything. He just stayed at my side until I lapsed into the dark unknown, desperately trying to forget what he'd just told me.
When Tony emerged from the back of the ER ward, Ziva was waiting for him.
"Abby and Ducky will both be here at any minute and I just spoke with Director Vance. He's going to issue a statement right away that an NCIS agent was shot and killed tonight. Gibbs is still wi—" She stopped suddenly, recognizing that something was wrong with Tony. "What is it?" she asked, putting her hand on her arm.
"I don't like putting her through this, even if it is just so everything seems more...real. Why do I always have to do the unsavory jobs?!" Tony exclaimed, running his fingers through his dark hair.
In a gesture that surprised them both, Ziva put her arms around Tony's neck and hugged him close. "It's all right, Tony," she whispered. "This will all be over soon."
Instinctively, Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva's small waist and held her tightly. "I know," he replied, inhaling the scent of her Pantene shampoo.
"Ziva! Tony! What the hell are you two doing?" Gibbs demanded to know, walking in and seeing them, followed closely by Abby and Ducky. Nurses and doctors alike turned to look at the interesting young girl, but their stares didn't bother Abby.
"Where's McGee...'s body?" Abby asked, adding the last part on as an afterthought. For a moment, she had forgotten about the whole ruse they were trying to pull.
"He's in there," Tony told her, pointed to one of the nearby rooms as he rushed to get Ziva out of his embrace. "Boss, Elle took it badly. She's passed out in there."
Gibbs nodded. He had fully expected that. "I'll go talk to her," he said, pushing through the small space between Ziva and Tony. He knew that they would eventually end up together, but he still wanted to make them think that he didn't want them to break #12, even though he'd done it a few times before.
Elle was awake again, but her head was turned to the side and she was staring at the wall, but not seeing. She didn't even blink when he came into the room. Tears rolled silently down her pale cheeks. The traces of blood on her skin were a bright contrast to the white gauze, black dress, and pale skin.
"Elle?" Gibbs called her name quietly. "Elle, I need you to look at me."
Slowly, she turned towards him, her chin quivering dangerously as more sobs threatened to escape her throat. "He's gone, Gibbs. My McGee—the only person I had left—is gone." She lifted her hands and covered her face, unable to face the terrible truth.
Gibbs walked over and sat down on the bed beside her, putting his hand on her good shoulder gently. "I'm sorry, Elle. I really am."
Slowly, wincing sharply as she did so, I sat up and leaned my head against Gibbs' chest, in desperate need of comfort. One of the bullets had hit my shoulder and the other had grazed my side, just underneath my arm. Gibbs put his arms around me lightly and let me cry on his shoulder until my throat ached, I was breathless, and my wounds were hurting to bad to sit up anymore.
Tony, Ziva, Abby, and Ducky went to see McGee, who was being moved to a room where he'd have to stay overnight for observation.
"McGee!" Abby cried, rushing towards her good friend as an orderly wheeled his bed into the elevator. "Oh my gosh! You look terrible!"
"Thanks, Abby," Tim replied, flinching when she hugged him too tightly.
"Careful, Abby," Ziva cautioned her.
"Oops, sorry," the black-haired girl apologized.
"Probie! It looks like you're gonna get a few days off," Tony remarked, grinning impishly down at McGee.
"How's Elle taking the news?" Tim wanted to know.
"She'll be fine," Tony brushed it away nonchalantly. "She didn't seem to be bothered too much by your death. I'd say she compartmentalizes very well."
McGee glared up at Tony. "Could you at least be serious for a few minutes, Tony? Honestly, how did she take the news?"
"She was devastated," Tony told him simply. "Gibbs is with her now."
McGee nodded, downcast. "How soon can I get out of here?" he wanted to know. "I hate hospitals and so does Gibbs."
"McGee!" Abby wailed. "You just got shot twice, like...an hour ago. You're not going anywhere for a long time."
"I'm afraid Abby is right, Timothy," Ducky spoke up. "You need to stay under the care of a doctor for at least twenty-four hours."
"Can't you look after me?" McGee wanted to know. The stark whiteness of hospitals jumped out at him from every inch of the ward.
"Most of the young men I look at have died from gunshot wounds," Ducky reminded him. "The idea of treating you seems somewhat morbid."
"I'm gonna have to agree with Ducky, McGee," Tony declared. "I can't imagine seeing you laid out on one of those silver slabs..." He shivered unconsciously. "Yeah, bad idea."
Ziva stood to the side, not saying anything. She was trying to figure out why she had hugged Tony just now. Yes, she was attracted to him and she had been since she'd first joined the NCIS team, but Gibbs would kill her if she acted on those feelings. It was Rule # 12...she thought. One look at Tony, his arm around Abby's shoulders and his other hand on McGee's shoulder, reminded her just how much she truly cared about him. It was something that she wouldn't soon forget.