Hey folks!

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone for all the reviews, alerts, etc. You guys rock! I do my best to answer each and every one and I'm sorry if I've missed a few recently. I wanted to get this chapter up fast so I can finish up this story by the time the new season starts. Then I'll start working on my next one.

Also I wanted to be sure to thank those who review without logging in as I of course can't reply to you guys directly. So thanks to you guys, too. :o)

Enjoy!

-Moki

------------------------

Chapter Nine

"Corpsman!"

-------------

"No, no, no…." McGee said anxiously, struggling to get out from under his unmoving partner.

McGee gently rolled Tony onto his back, looking desperately for a wound. Not finding any, he slowly pulled him forward until Tony was lying on his side. There his fears were realized as he saw the entry wound near the other man's right shoulder blade. The fact that he found no exit wound in the front was bad. It was very, very bad.

Tony suddenly groaned and tried to pull away from McGee's hands. "McGee?" he looked around in confusion, momentarily forgetting what had happened.

"You were shot, Tony. You……you took a bullet for me," the younger man sounded surprised and Tony smiled slightly.

"Yeah well, that's my job isn't it? Saving my Probie's ass?"

"Funny," McGee replied shakily, not really comfortable with Tony joking around while he was lying there with a bullet in his back. Though a part of him knew that if Tony started acting anything other than like his normal annoying self, he'd have real cause to worry.

Tony once again tried to roll away, but McGee held him firm. "Look Tony, you got shot in the back and there's no exit wound. I don't think you should lay down on it."

Tony thought about it and realized his partner was right. "Okay, help me sit up then? Laying on my side like this is killing me."

McGee reluctantly agreed, doing as much of the work as he could to help the other man sit up. It wasn't easy with only one working hand each, but soon Tony was sitting up. Then McGee helped him slide back until he was leaning against the nearby wall with his uninjured shoulder.

"What a pair we make, eh McGee?" Tony said with a strained smile, noting that they were both favoring their right arms and shoulders now. He rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes and coughing a few times.

"Yeah, we're regular twins, DiNozzo," McGee replied, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. He had seen the obvious pain the cough had caused his partner, knowing that the bullet could be in his lung. McGee wasn't a medical expert but somehow he didn't think that bullets and scarred lungs were a good combination.

Positioning himself next to Tony, McGee put pressure on the wound. He swallowed nervously and looked away as he pressed hard and blood seeped through his fingers. Tony hissed at the added pressure and McGee grimaced to hear it.

"Sorry," McGee said quietly, still not looking at his hands.

"It's okay, McGee…..not….your fault," Tony replied slowly.

The junior agent felt his heart race as he noticed his partner's eyes drooping in a face that was a pale version of its normal self. Concentrating on keeping pressure on the wound, McGee took a breath to steady himself.

Panic rose inside the younger agent, but he quickly squelched it. With his superior severely injured, it was up to him to figure out how to get them out of there. Tony had come up with the idea of using the lift and McGee had got it working. Now he just wondered if there was any way to use the damn thing.

Tim looked over at the metal platform, now more than ten feet away from their current position. Not a lot of distance, but with Tony losing strength and McGee only able to use one arm, the thing might as well have been on the other side of town.

Trying to figure out if he had enough strength to drag DiNozzo back onto the lift with one arm, McGee suddenly realized that his partner had become quiet. Much too quiet.

"Hey…Tony?" McGee put his hand on Tony's face, worried when he got no reaction. The other man's eyes were closed tight, his face slack and his breathing shallow.

McGee couldn't believe what was happening. The two of them had finally come to some sort of an understanding. Now there was every chance that the other man was going to die right there in his arms, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

As he sat there holding his partner, McGee remembered all the things that Tony had done for him. Covering for him when he was late, being there when he thought he had killed a cop, helping him work things out when a crazed fan was using his books as a means for murder. Ziva had even told him that Tony had purposely given him grunt duty when Gibbs had been severely injured in an explosion. McGee had been unable to enter that room and sensing his discomfort, Tony had given him duties away from the bloody and messy crime scene.

It made McGee realize that if their places were switched, Tony wouldn't just sit there and wait for his partner to die. If it were him lying bleeding, barely breathing in Tony's arms, McGee knew that Tony would do…..well, something.

That thought put McGee into action.

No way Tony, you're not dying on me now. McGee said to himself. He quickly laid the other man flat out on the ground and listened to his chest. He heard a weak but steady heartbeat and felt the slight rise and fall of Tony's chest denoting that his partner was indeed still breathing.

Knowing he needed to get the bleeding under control, McGee struggled to take off his jacket. Hissing slightly at the pain it caused his shoulder, Tim rolled Tony onto his side once again. He pressed the fabric into the wound, laying Tony back down onto his back. Letting the man's own weight continue to put pressure where it was needed.

Sitting back on his heels, McGee had done as much as he could for the moment. Tony was as stable as he was going to get and now it was time to figure out what to do next.

He had just started working on a plan to get onto the lift and maybe run for help, when the gunfire started again. Ducking down behind the boxes, he realized that they needed more cover. Grabbing his unconscious partner by the collar with one hand, McGee started tugging with everything he had.

When that didn't work, McGee knew what he had to do and Tony would've been proud to see that he didn't hesitate. Ignoring the searing pain in his arm, Tim grabbed his partner, with both hands this time, and yanked.

Pulling Tony with him, McGee got them both into a better position behind some larger crates. Somewhere along the line he'd felt his shoulder go out again but he ignored it.

Leaning against the crates and panting from his exertions, McGee looked around to see if he could find anything that could be used as a weapon. Not for the first time in the past few minutes, he really wished Tony was awake.

"I bet there's a movie you've seen with a situation like this, DiNozzo. You'd probably come up with some crazy, yet strangely plausible, plan to blow the bad guys up with a bomb made from toothpaste or something," McGee said, ducking as another spate of gunfire rained splinters down on his head.

He threw himself over Tony, covering the man's face and chest with his own body. When the firing stopped, he stayed where he was for a few moments to be sure the danger had passed.

His own pounding heart and panting breaths were so loud that he nearly missed it, but after a few seconds McGee knew that something was wrong. With a jolt, he jumped up as he realized that Tony wasn't moving at all.

"Tony?" McGee was hesitant, hoping against hope that somehow this was some sick joke. Right then he wouldn't mind some of DiNozzo's crazy humor. As long as it meant that he was wrong about what he'd felt when he'd lain on top of the other man's chest. Anything would be better than knowing that Tony was no longer breathing.

"No Tony, you can't…," McGee began, quickly going into full CPR mode. Instinct guided his hands as he tipped his partner's head back and began pushing on his chest and breathing for him.

-----------

Gibbs stared at the empty warehouse, turning off his engine. He reached into the passenger seat to get his flashlight when he heard two gunshots. The first weapon he didn't recognize but his keen ears told him that the second was a Sig. He'd bet his boat that it belonged to one of his men. Which one he couldn't be sure but that part didn't really matter to him. They were under attack. That's all he cared about.

Barely pausing to dial his phone and call in backup from the local LEO's, Gibbs ran into the empty warehouse. Surprised, he found there was nothing in the place but a layer of dust. Where were Tony and Tim?

The team leader had no way of knowing that the lift system his men had discovered led behind the place. The door opened next to the water so that items could be easily loaded to and from small watercraft.

What he did know was where the sound of the Sig had come from and that was….below?

Gibbs looked down at his feet, not believing his ears. He was sure the sound had come from below, but how? Frantic, he followed it and found a wooden wall. Kicking with all his might, he broke through to an empty space behind. Not bothering to stop and wonder at how a tunnel could possibly be there, he started running until he found a trapdoor.

His gut told him that his men were running out of time. How he knew that, he didn't know, but he did. He only hesitated a moment before opening the door and climbing down the ladder. The broken step caught him off guard but Gibbs was able to hang on and clamber down safely. When he found an empty room with a door at the other end, he knew they must be on the other side.

It was then that he finally slowed his pace. Haste could mean danger and while Gibbs didn't care about much himself, he now had Tony and McGee to worry about.

Moving quickly and silently, Gibbs crossed to the door. Before he could open it, he heard more gunfire. This time nothing but enemy guns, none of the weapons were Sigs. Which meant that either his men had located other firearms, or they were out of ammo.

Opening the door a crack, Gibbs got a quick visual of the action. He saw another large warehouse, completely stacked with crates. On the opposite end from the door was another trapdoor in the ceiling. Two men were busily firing away at a corner where his men must be, considering how hard the bad guys were trying to blow it into smithereens.

Staying down, Gibbs scooted into the room and got under cover. Then he opened fire.

-----------

Unaware that his boss had just entered the fray, McGee ignored the gunfire around him. He had no choice. He had to keep breathing for Tony. He had to keep up the rhythm. It was the only chance the other man had.

As he continued, thoughts came to McGee's mind. At first he found himself thinking about the previous day. Doing his CPR req's and Tony there screwing with him while he did so. Then other things came to mind….

Tony singing Frank Sinatra at the top of his voice while he was trying to look up a perp's records.

Tony quoting endless movie references while he was decrypting a suspect's computer.

Tony eating cookies over his head and dropping crumbs into his hair while he pulled up surveillance videos.

Tony rolling up balls up paper and throwing them at his head while he searched through records to find a connection with a known suspect.

Without pausing in his rhythm, McGee shook his head. You crazy jerk, that's why you do it, isn't it? You're just making sure I won't break under pressure, that I keep my head together under fire….McGee thought to himself.

Determined to prove that he was a good student to his rather unorthodox teacher, McGee kept on going. He ignored the firefight going on around him, ignored the pain in his shoulder, ignored the splinters that sprayed into his scalp from a few close calls, he even ignored it when another body landed by his.

He didn't even notice when the gunfire stopped, so caught up was he in his one and only purpose – continue breathing for Tony.

Only when a voice spoke near his ear, did McGee pause, but only slightly.

"That's a good job Tim, ambulance is almost here," and McGee looked up to find Gibbs' bright blue eyes looking into his.

"I have to make sure there aren't any more scumbags around, can you keep it up till the EMT's get here?" Gibbs hated to ask. He hated leaving Tony not breathing and McGee barely holding on by a thread, but there was nothing else he could do. He had to make sure the place was clear or risk all of them getting shot by someone hiding out and hoping for just such an oversight.

McGee nodded once, immediately putting his head back down and continuing with his work. Sweat rolled down his nose and into his eyes, his arm ached and throbbed, but still he continued.

Gibbs ran off and searched the area for any more dirtbags. Searching the entire warehouse, he found none and ran to the lift. Pushing buttons until the thing moved, he rode it up to the dock. There he found a van with a couple bodies inside. The wounds told him where all of Tony and McGee's ammo had gone. Taking a quick head count, Gibbs was proud to see that his men had held up well despite being outgunned two to one.

The ambulance arrived then and he guided the EMT's back to the lift and to Tony. He knew his steps faltered as he ran to where his agent lay. In all the noise and confusion, Gibbs had hardly looked at the fallen man. Now he got a good look and was shocked at the lifeless form under McGee's frantically working hands.

McGee didn't seem to notice the arrival of the EMT's and Gibbs had to gently pull him aside.

"They've got him now, Tim," Gibbs said, watching as the men quickly went to work. They put in a breathing tube and shocked Tony until his heart started beating again. With each pulse of the machine, Gibbs felt his own heart jumped in time with Tony's convulsions. Beside him, he felt McGee do the same.

They got Tony onto the lift and up to the dock level. There the team paused momentarily to adjust the lines in the injured man's arms, adding bags of liquid and covering him with more blankets.

Gibbs' mouth was dry as he watched the men working on his Senior Field Agent. Trying not to think about the fact that he'd practically ordered both of his men into this situation, he noticed McGee pacing nearby. The younger man was mumbling to himself, scraping a bloody hand through his sweat soaked hair.

"Hey McGee," Gibbs began.

The younger man stopped suddenly and looked at him in desperation. "It's my fault, Boss. I should be the one lying there. He should've let that stupid bullet hit me!"

McGee had been walking back and forth nervously ever since Gibbs had practically dragged him away from Tony. The man was making himself crazy and Gibbs had had enough. He grabbed the younger by the collar and put him against the warehouse wall with some force. McGee stopped mumbling, blinking up at his boss in surprise.

"You knock it off, you hear me McGee?"

"But Boss…."

"But what? You think you should have taken that bullet?"

McGee simply nodded mutely.

"Let me ask you something. You know where that bullet hit DiNozzo?"

Again McGee nodded. How could he forget? He had watched blood pouring from that wound, his hands were still covered in it.

"Show me," Gibbs demanded.

Not sure where Gibbs was going, McGee raised his hand hesitantly, pointing to the other man's right shoulder.

Gibbs nodded. "That's right. Right here," Gibbs put his finger on the spot. "He was facing you, right? Took the slug in the back?"

McGee nodded again.

"But you were facing forward, right? Kind of like we are now?" Gibbs stepped in closer.

"So tell me McGee, if Tony hadn't been there, where would the bullet have hit you?"

McGee looked at Gibbs' finger, still pointing to nearly the exact point where the bullet had hit Tony from behind. Mentally he drew a straight line and saw that if nothing had stopped it, the bullet would have hit him…….straight in the heart.

Seeing recognition on the young agent's face, Gibbs nodded.

"That's right, Tim," Gibbs said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Tony knew what he was doing. He did what any of us would have done. He knew that he had a better chance of surviving a bullet to the back than you did of surviving one to the chest. So you stop blaming yourself right now, got it?" he gripped the man's collar tighter, giving him a slight shake.

McGee nodded again, still unable to speak.

Gibbs opened his mouth to make sure the message got across when suddenly McGee gave him a strange look.

"What is it, Tim?" he asked worriedly.

"Boss….I….don't feel so good." The younger man's legs gave out and only the ex Marine's quick reflexes saved the agent from going down hard. Old habit caused Gibbs to yell for help the only way he knew how when a fellow brother in arm was injured.

"Corpsman!"