Abby was sitting in the hotel Café sipping her coffee. She had been at the Forensics conference for three days now. It was better than she had expected. The last time she had been to one of these things she had been bored to tears. It had been a bunch of old guys talking about how sometimes older techniques work the best, and a bunch of bologna she didn’t believe in. She was about to go back to the conference hall when she received a call from Ducky.
“Duck-man! How are things back home?”
Ducky’s voice came through the phone laced with despair. “Not so great my dear.”
“What’s happened Ducky?” Abby asked instantly becoming concerned.
“Mother’s taken a turn for the worse I’m afraid. She was admitted to the hospital this morning. I’m there now.”
“I’m sorry to hear that Ducky. But somehow I don’t think that’s the reason you called.”
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Ducky walked out of his mother’s room and headed for the waiting room as a doctor came to run more test again. “Well not entirely. I wished to see how you were doing. I recalled how you described the last one of these things you were at. It sounded quite horrible.” Ducky rambled as he passed the waiting room deciding to just wonder to stretch his legs.
“Oh it was, there were a bunch of old people running that conference. And I swear ducky they could not be scientists, they didn’t even know how to work the computer that was running the power point, they were just reading from the manual.”
“Is this one similar Abby?” Ducky asked as he was approaching the hall way to the ER.
“Oh no! Not at all! It is so much better. It is so much fun. It’s much more lively, we get to test out new equipment and everything. I even met this-“
“Abby. I have a feeling you will becoming back sooner than you expected.” Ducky said interrupting Abby. He had just come across the waiting room for the ER. He saw Frank Tolley, a evidence tech, sitting in one of the chairs next to Tony who’s left arm was in a cast. “Tony?”
“Ducky?” Abby asked through the phone, confused by Ducky’s cryptic statement.
“Hold on a moment Abigail.” Ducky said talking to Abby. He looked to Tony, who had stood up and walked over to Ducky. “What happened Tony? How did you break your arm?”
Abby’s startled gasp could be heard through the phone. “Very long story Ducky.”
“Well give me the short version then.”
“Hostage situation back at headquarters, Bad guys left with McGee and Palmer, building blew up, and now we are here.”
Abby let out a startled cry that everyone in the waiting room could hear. “Well, that’s quite a short version Tony. Do we know why they took Palmer and McGee?”
“None at all.”
“Anyone else injured?” Ducky inquired.
Tony looked at the floor. “Yeah, Duck. It was pretty bad. Why don’t I tell you the long version.”
“That might be a good idea Tony. Hold on, let me put Abby on speaker. “Abby?”
“Ducky, what’s going on?!” Abby yelled through the phone.
“Abby, don’t yell, you’re on speaker phone.”
“Oh, sorry. Spill DiNozzo.”
“Okay well, here’s the story as I know it. A man came out of an elevator holding Gibbs at knife point, Gibbs was unconscious. He said for everyone that wasn’t myself, Ziva, McGee, Palmer, or the Director to leave the building. He had accomplices so we complied. We were bound up. Gibbs too even though he was out. A few hours later our captor came to the conclusion something was wrong. Gibbs was still out. He questioned one of his men. He had spiked Gibbs’ drink even though he was supposed to have spiked Palmer’s. The amount he used was 6-8 times greater than any safe dosage. He shot Palmer. He left taking McGee and Palmer with him. Then the building blew up. Ziva, the Director, and I took cover under some desks.”
There was silence following Tony’s explanation. Ducky was the first to speak again. “How are the others?”
Tony let out a sigh. “I don’t know what happened to Ziva. But I do know that the Director broke her foot, and that Gibbs has internal bleeding, a concussion among who knows what else.”
“Oh God!” Abby sobbed. “I be back soon guys, I’m booking a ticket now. And don’t try to talk me out of it.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it Abby.” Tony whispered.
“I’ll see you later.” Abby said before she hung up.
A doctor walked into the waiting room. Tony practically jumped up. The doctor called out. “The family of Walter Reynolds?” Tony said back down looking embarrassed and disappointed.
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An hour passed before another doctor entered the waiting room. Tony had drifted off to sleep just five minutes before. “The family of Ziva David?” Tony felt Ducky’s hand on his shoulder and woke up. Ducky nodded toward the doctor.
They walked over to him. “How is she?” Tony asked.
“Well, she has a severe concussion, a dislocated left shoulder and a broken wrist. I don’t expect her to remember anything room earlier today or yesterday for that matter. She will probably wake up in a few hours, but don’t hold me to that. That is my best educated guess.”
“Can we go see her?” Tony asked anxiously.
“Yes, this way.”
The doctor led them to a room in the ICU. Tony spoke up before entering the room. “Could you come to us if there is any news on a Jethro Gibbs or Jenny Sheppard?”
“Of course, but, Jenny Sheppard is already in there.” The doctor said pointing into the room.
“Thank you.” Tony replied and entered the room. He saw Jenny sitting next to the bed with her foot propped up on a chair next to her. His eyes drifted from her to Ziva lying on the bed. She looked perfectly normal except for the sling on her arm and cast on her wrist. She had no head wound to even indicate she had a concussion. Tony felt torn apart on the inside. He wanted to go up and hold her hand and whisper into her ear that he loved her, but knew he shouldn’t with the others in the room. He settled with standing at the foot of her bed a hand resting on her ankle.
“You doing okay Tony?” Jenny asked.
“Getting there.” He replied. “You know if-“ Tony started but was cut of by the intercom. It got eerily quiet in Zia’s room.
“Code blue in ICU 4! Code blue in ICU 4!” Several nurses and a doctor ran past the room heading down the hall. They seemed to be a part of another world to Tony. He barely even noticed the frantic voices coming from the room next to them. Tony returned his attention back to Ziva willing her to wake up.
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Ducky felt his heart sink as he heard the announcement. He heard the voices from the next room whether he wanted to or not, they seemed to be screaming at him. The patient was dying. What made it worse was that he knew who the patient was. He had left the room a while ago after calling Abby. He hadn’t realized his mother was back in the room, and now she was dying.
Ducky left the room and walked over to the other. Jenny gave him a strange look. Tony didn’t seem to notice. He stopped in his mother’s doorway and watched the doctors’ work. It appeared to be a blur. How quickly his mother went from living, to death in another moment. He heard the sentence he was dreading hearing. “Time of death; 11:46 am.” The commotion died down and most of the doctors returned to their previous activities. One stayed and shut down the machines. Ducky couldn’t watch anymore and returned to Ziva’s room.
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Jenny watched Ducky return to the room. She wondered what had gone on in the other room. She had heard the call of death, but wondered why Ducky had been compelled to go watch. “Anyone we knew?” she asked curiosity winning out. After looking at Ducky’s face she immediately regretted it.
“My mother.”
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