[Phoomph-Five]

There were only a handful of people seated in the hospital's waiting room. There was a television on, showing late night reruns of M*A*S*H with the volume just loud enough for the few that were awake to hear. So when the inner doors slammed open and the stomping of feet and the jingle of chains filled the room, everyone jumped at the new sound. Brad looked up from his phone where he was playing Tetris and studied the two people. The young woman had a face full of panic and worry; her movements were quick and short. When he looked at her clothing he was taken aback, it was the same woman that he seen by the stage at the festival, because there was no way he would forget that outfit. His eyes darted over to the older man, he walked at full height with a face of determination, but he also saw underneath the down cast brow and above the locked jaw, blue eyes that were filled with more worry then the woman fidgeting next to him.

As the man arrived at the nurse's station, his arms spread out away from his body and his finger tips held them up from the counter. The nurse had to move back from the desk an inch or two so she could look at his face. "Anthony DiNozzo, what room is he in?" The man demanded.

The nurse hit a few strokes on her keyboard before saying, "He's in surgery right now." Her eyes darted to the young woman as she let out a gasp.

"What happened?" Before the nurse could answer the young woman, Brad stood up and went over to them.

"He was strangled and shot in the left shoulder." The two people turned around facing him both with looks that wanting answers. "I'm Officer Brad Erickson." He said holding out his hand to the older man, he saw those blue eyes looking him up and down as he shook hands.

"Agent Gibbs."

"Nice to meet you." He turned to the woman and they too shook hands.

"Abby Suito. Are D.C cops always dressed casual on the night shift?" Brad could tell that Miss Suito was trying to break the thick ice with a joke. But her voice was unsteady and nothing in her eyes showed humor.

"I'm not on duty."

"Then why are you here?" Gibbs snapped.

Brad looked back at the sliver haired agent, wondering how he should take the man's ruff demander. But given the he let it go. "I found Mr. DiNozzo at the plaza and felt that I had to stay with him--"

"You just happened to be around--"

"Agent Gibbs," Brad said with some annoyance. "I know you want answers but if you keep interrupting me I won't be able to tell you." Brad saw death look him in the eyes and guessed that not a lot of people told this man what to do. But he wasn't going to crumbed under the gaze. He could also tell that the NCIS agent wanted to say something else but remained quiet.

"I went for a run after I got off my shift of paroling the festival. I was a few blocks away from the square when I heard a gun shot." Brad watched as the agent pulled out a pad of paper and started to write down his statement. "I ran to the plaza and saw Mr. DiNozzo lying on the ground, with a gun shot wound to his left shoulder and a cord around his neck. He came to for a brief moment and that's when he handed me his cell phone with your numbered dialed."

Gibbs looked up and turned to Abby with out a word towards Brad and his story, "Abby call Ducky, have him come here--"

"I'm not leaving until I see him Gibbs." Tears were welling up in Abby eyes as she looked up at her boss.

"I'm not asking you to, just call him." Abby moved pass the two men, with one last look at her boss, before heading outside to make the call.

"Agent Gibbs, I know that this is not a Metro case or that you need the department's help. But I am willing to help you in anyway to catch this man."

"Why?"

"I honesty can't give you a reason better than I feel that I have to help. Just like I felt that I had to run to the plaza, like I had to ride in the ambulance and just like I had to stay here. I listen to my gut Agent Gibbs and it hasn't steered me wrong yet."

Gibbs just looked at the man in front of him trying to get a read on him. Then after a few moments Brad thought he saw a small smirk appeared briefly on the agents face, but he wasn't sure.

"I guess you can help, you did save my agent after all."

"Thank you Agent Gibbs." The two men walked over to the chairs that faced the locked doors that separated them from Tony.

"How long have you been waiting?" Gibbs asked quietly as they took a seat.

"About twenty minutes." They sat in silence which did not last long when Abby came back inside.

"Ducky is on his way. Have you heard anything yet? He's been there for a long time hasn't he? He'll be fine right Gibbs? Hey police guy," Abby turned her questioning to other man "was the gunshot wound a graze, a through and through or was the bullet still in him?" Abby spoke faster with each question. Brad was taken aback with her energy while Gibbs just let her go on, letting her get it all out. "And how long was Tony out in the cold? It's really cold out side, he could get sick and that would just complicated things?" She turned back to Gibbs "Why would someone do this to Tony? Do you think it has something to do with past cases he has closed? Because it seems to be always his past that comes back to attack him? What do you think? Why aren't you answering me Gibbs?"

The NCIS agent did not say a word; he just padded the white plastic chair next to him. Abby instantly fell into it, wrapping her arms around him calling on his comfort to make her feel better. Brad watched the interaction quietly, trying to get a take on the two. The way they acted he thought that they were father and daughter, but the last names didn't fit. However he wasn't ruling it out. It wasn't long until the hospital doors opened again, but this time it was slow and quite. An elderly man wearing glasses and a classic tan hat came walking up to them.

"Any word on Anthony?" A Scottish heritage filled the old man's voice.

"Nothing yet Duck." Gibbs answered the older man. "This is Officer Brad Erickson he found Tony." He said motioning to the man seated besides him.

"Doctor Donald Mallard, but please call me Ducky, we are in your debt for saving our friend's life." Ducky said as he shook hands with Brad.

"I am just glad that I was in the area. Now do you work with him or are you like his personal physician?" Brad struck up small talk, to get more information on the people around him.

"I would think it's safe to say that I am indeed both. I am the medical examiner for NCIS and I find myself also the medical liaison in situations like these. Now if you excuse me, I will try and see if I can get any word on Anthony." With nods from all three people, Ducky went to find the nearest nurse, leaving them in the quite waiting room.

[Phoomph]

Another episode of M*A*S*H came on the low volume television, even though there was barely any other ambient noise, he had to strain to hear the show. But he didn't need the volume to know what was going on, Brad remembered seeing it on from his series collection, it was the last episode of the third season, and one of his favorites. Agent Gibbs and Doctor Mallard was off in a corner near the doors talking softly, he took that back, Doctor Mallard was doing most of the talking. Abby was still seated in the same white chair; her right leg was bouncing up and down like a paddle ball. Brad could feel the vibrations through the connected chairs. Her eyes were locked on the ER doors waiting for answers to come though the doors. Brad turned his attention back to the TV when he noticed the commercials were over. The episode was at the point when Col. Blake, Hawkeye, Trapper and Radar were at the bar getting drunk for Blake's going home party. Blake was opening one of his presents when the double doors opened and a doctor came walking towards them. Abby was the first one to jump up from the chair and practically ran into the doctor.

"Are you here with Anthony DiNozzo?" The mid fifties Doctor asked. Brad had to hold back a scoff; it wasn't like there was a ton of people in the room and the couple of people that were didn't even look up when the doctor came, in so of course they were.

"We are, I'm Special Agent Gibbs. How is he?" Gibbs asked with a great edge to his voice as he and Doctor Mallard walked over to him. Brad was the last to get up and join the group, standing behind them.

"He's very lucky; the bullet barely missed his carotid artery though we won't know how severe his neck injuries are until he wakes up. There are ligature marks and starches across his neck, also he's blood alcohol was twice over the legal limit, which most likely did not help him in his situation. However the good news is that from the scans, there so no signs of any brain damage, and with lots of rest, he will be fine." The whole group let out a sigh of relief, for they all knew the damage of ligature strangulation. "We are going to keep him here for at lest seventy two hours to make sure there are no complications, but I am very confidante there won't be any."

"Can we see him?" Abby asked still holding tightly around Gibbs arm.

"He is still under the amnesiac, but if you don't wake him you can see him two at a time."

"Thank you doctor." Ducky said kindly as they followed the doctor through the ER doors and down a long hall towards Tony's room.

"Oh and I forgot," the doctor stopped just shy of the room, "we found blood and skin under Mr. DiNozzo's fingernails--"

"Give them to me." Abby suddenly demanded with her hand stretched out to the doctor.

The elderly doctor gave a look of uncertainly and confusion at her sudden change, "Um…"

"I'm the forensic scientist." She said with great frustration.

"I'll get that to you right away. He's in this room." The doctor pointed to opened door room as he walked away to get the evidence. Abby and Ducky went in the room first, leaving Gibbs and Brad waited quietly outside.

"I'm going to take Abby back to NCIS and check up on my team." Gibbs said a few moments after they were left alone by door.

"What do you want me to do?" Brad asked knowing there was going to be an order for him.

"You stay with DiNozzo until I get back."

"I'm not going anywhere." Gibbs face twitched a smirk but it was gone in a second. Ducky came waking out mentioning something about talking to the doctor and getting more details about Tony's condition.

Gibbs walked into Tony's room, no matter how small the injury was; he never liked seeing one of his own in a hospital bed. Tony's left shoulder was wrapped in a white bandage, he was hooked up to an EKG machine that let out a soft beat of his heart and an IV was attacked to his arm with a saline solution to help the pain killers flow though his body. And around his neck was a soft white foam neck brace covering most of the gruesome damage.

Abby was sitting on the right side of the bed, holding Tony's hand in one of hers, while the other one stroked his hair. "You'll be fine Tony, though you better not let this happen again."

"He knows Abby." Gibbs said letting her know that he was in the room.

"Who did this Gibbs?" Abby almost pleaded to her boss, but her eyes were still on Tony.

"I don't know, but we will find the bastard, we have his DNA."

Abby stood up from the bed and walked to the door where Gibbs stood. "Let's go then. The sooner we catch him, the sooner this can be over." With that she walked out to find the doctor and get the evidence.

However Gibbs did not move from his spot near the door, he just kept looking at his senior field agent wondering why things always seemed to happen to this young man. Sometimes it was a result of a stupid action of his, but most he was just the poor soul that just happened to be in the way. And there was no way he could protect his agent from it all.

"Why were you out at night by yourself? Federal agent or not that was dumb move. You were drunk and if you were planning on driving so help me…" Gibbs stopped; DiNozzo wasn't hearing any of this. However he was kind of glad that he was still asleep because Gibbs' voice was soft and was filled with too much emotion than he would have liked. "You should have called me, Tony." The young man on the bed started to move around, but stopped seconds after.

Abby then popped her head into the room. "Gibbs." The call of his name, snapped him out of his stare, he turned around leaving the room. He had a bastard to catch.