Again, my thanks to Lisa for proofreading, and to all of you who have reviewed etc. too. *hugs*
Part Two
An extra large, extra sweet coffee was put on his desk. Tony looked up through the sunglasses he wore and managed a faint smile of thanks as he wrapped his hands around the offering gratefully.
With a sigh and a shake of his head, Gibbs continued to McGee's desk and put down a similar offering next to his slumped-over agent's head before glancing over at the untouched cup on Ziva's desk, frowning after checking the time once again.
"Anyone heard from Ziva this morning?" He asked, raising his voice to the extent that the male members of his team winced. Tony answered in the form of a grunt while McGee make a concerted effort to lift his head from the table and stare bleary eyed at his boss.
"She hasn't called in," McGee confirmed. "Maybe Abby knows…?"
A shadow passed over Gibbs' face at the thought of having to call Abby after the incident the night before, having not been able to settle on what to say to her when he next saw her.
"Call her and see if she knows anything," he settled for saying eventually, turning on his heel and heading up the stairs towards MTAC and the Director's office.
Tony and McGee exchanged glances in his wake before Tony let his head fall down against his desk and McGee picked up the phone to call their forensic specialist, wincing at the loudness of the ringtone in his ear.
A nurse from Bethesda called just seconds after the BOLO McGee had put out on Ziva's car came back reporting it had been involved in an accident. The team plus Abby had been waiting for news in the squad room after all attempts at raising the probationary agent on her cell phone had failed.
While Gibbs, as Ziva's next of kin, took the telephone call, McGee pulled up the information he'd received and put it on the screen for them all to see.
"Boss?" Tony got to his feet a little shakily, already reaching for his jacket as Gibbs' hung up. "Is she...?"
"She's alive," Gibbs said grimly, grabbing his badge and gun from his desk drawer. "DiNozzo, go to the hospital and check on her. Take Abby with you," he added when the forensic specialist opened her mouth to protest. "McGee, you're with me."
"Boss?" Also standing, McGee struggled to tear his gaze away from the crash report on screen. "Where...?"
"We're going to the scene, McGee," Gibbs explained tersely. "Ziva told the nurse to tell me her brakes didn't work."
Abby frowned, wrapping her arms around herself as the group hurriedly walked towards the elevators. "She had her car serviced last week," she murmured, meeting Gibbs' gaze for the first time all morning. "Remember I drove her in?"
"I remember, Abby." Gibbs gave her a small nod, a flicker of warmth in his eyes as he noted her concern. "That's why we're going to check it out."
"You think someone did this on purpose?" Tony's jaw clenched and he jabbed the button for the parking level viciously. "Someone tampered with her car?"
"That's what we're going to find out, DiNozzo." Gibbs allowed his expression to soften on seeing the worry in his senior agent's face. "When you've checked on Ziva, join us at the scene. Abby can stay with her."
Tony nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
The four completed the journey in silence, all too engrossed in their own thoughts to realise they hadn't said goodbye as they went their separate ways.
"I am fine; I do not need to see another doctor!"
The sound of her voice, irate and grumpy, greeted them as they walked down the corridor towards her room and had never sounded so beautiful. Tony and Abby looked at each other, exchanging a relieved grin as they followed the sound into the room.
A harassed nurse, obviously trying to reason with her, looked up when they entered and sighed heavily when she realised they weren't the backup she was expecting. "Can I help you?" She asked tersely.
"No, but she can," Tony answered with a grin as Abby bypassed the woman completely and wrapped Ziva up in a big but gentle hug. "You okay, Ziva?"
"I am fine," the Israeli repeated, looking anything but as she returned the hug. Her face was unusually pale, marred by white bandages and the dark beginnings of multiple bruises. The hand that Abby didn't cling to was also wrapped in a bandage. "I would be better if these people would stop taking my blood and let me sign the papers that will get me out of here."
"They have to make sure you're okay," Abby reasoned quietly. The only thing that saved the black-haired woman from a glare was the concern shining in her green eyes as she squeezed Ziva's hand. "You've been in an accident, Ziva. They can't let you leave till they know you're okay."
"She's right, Ziva," Tony added with a grin, relief making him brave – and helping him ignore the dark look she threw in his direction. "Can't have you suing the place if you collapse after they release you."
Abby rolled her eyes while the nurse joined Ziva in glaring at him. "How many more tests do you need to do?" The forensic specialist asked, forcing herself to stay calm and be the voice of reason.
"We've done all the tests we need to," the nurse replied haughtily. "I was just trying to explain to Ms. David here that, due to the nature of the accident and her concussion, the doctor needs to approve her release before she can sign herself out. He may want to keep her in for observation..."
"That won't be necessary," Abby cut in before Ziva could protest. "We have a qualified doctor who'd be more than happy to keep an eye on her once she's released so she shouldn't need to be kept in for observation. Now, how long do you think the doctor will be?"
Clearly disgruntled but appearing somewhat relieved she didn't have to argue with Ziva anymore, the nurse glanced at the wrist watch she wore before answering. "It could be anywhere in the next ten minutes to an hour. He's a very busy man," she added unnecessarily. "Ms. David isn't his only patient."
"I did not imply that I was," Ziva retorted, her eyes narrowing. "I only said that I wished to leave as soon as possible..."
"And you will, Ziva, I promise." Abby threw her a quick smile over her shoulder before turning once again to the nurse, arranging her features into a sweet, butter-wouldn't-melt expression. "While we're waiting, do you think it would be possible for you to get the release forms? They usually take a good thirty minutes to fill in so it means we'd be out of the way a lot sooner if they were already done in preparation for the doctor's visit..."
Shaking her head, too exasperated to argue anymore, they got the impression the nurse would have liked to throw her hands up in frustration if she could. "Fine," she said shortly, "I'll go and get them. But you can't leave until the doctor signs off on them..."
"We know," Tony agreed, joining the conversation to throw her the most charming grin he could muster. "We appreciate your help, don't we, Ziva?"
"Of course," the Israeli muttered through gritted teeth. "Thank you."
The nurse left without acknowledging her, leaving Tony and Abby to complete their own visual inspection of their friend. After a few moments of silence, Ziva glared at them both and pulled her hand away from Abby's in order to cross her arms over her chest.
"Stop staring at me like that, both of you," she ordered. "I have already told you that I –"
"That you're fine," Tony finished for her, rolling his eyes. "Sound a bit like a broken record there, Ziva."
"We're just making sure," Abby agreed, a smile breaking out across her face at the scowl on Ziva's. "They didn't really tell Gibbs anything, just that you were alive, so we didn't really know what to expect..."
Ziva started to shrug but winced when the gesture caused a surge of pain. "I have a mild concussion," she informed them calmly as Abby picked up the notes from the end of her bed and Tony peered over her shoulder to read them. "And I have minor cuts and bruises."
"It says here your ribs are bruised, too, probably due to the impact of the airbag." Tony glanced up at her, a flash of something she couldn't define in his eyes keeping her from making a sharp retort. "If it hadn't worked..."
"I would probably be dead," Ziva answered matter-of-factly, though she couldn't quite fight the slight shudder that worked its way down her spine. Clearing her throat when both Abby and Tony looked at her in concern, she tried to change the subject. "Are Gibbs and McGee at the scene?"
"They went to check it out," Tony told her when Abby moved silently to stand at Ziva's side once again. "Gibbs got your message about the brakes not working."
"My car was serviced last week. The brakes were checked and were fine," Ziva informed them. "It may have been a deliberate attempt on my life."
Tony shrugged casually on seeing the alarm enter Abby's eyes. "It might've been, or it could be an accident. Maybe the guys at the garage missed something..."
Ziva shook her head. "My car was not affected yesterday."
"Brakes could've been on the way out and you wouldn't have known," Tony countered, darting a meaningful glance at the quiet woman to Ziva's side. "We'll know more once we've checked out the scene. Speaking of which, if you're sure you're okay...?"
"I am okay, Tony." She inclined her head a little in acknowledgement of his concern. "You should go and help Gibbs and McGee."
"I'll stay and make sure she gets to NCIS okay," Abby murmured, speaking up for the first time since the cause of the accident had been brought up. "Make sure they have the car towed to the Navy Yard, okay? I want to look at it before Metro's forensics team makes a mess of it."
"Sure thing, Abs. I bet the boss man is already on it." Tony lingered for a moment, looking as though he wanted to say something more but changed his mind at the last minute. With a wave, he walked out of the room, calling back over his shoulder that he'd see them both later.
Once he was gone, Abby moved to hug Ziva again, hugging her as tightly as she dared with the other woman's injuries. "I'm glad you're okay," she whispered, tears prickling her eyes as the thought of what could have happened crossed her mind and made her shiver.
Feeling shaken herself, Ziva accepted the embrace without complaint. "Me, too, Abby."