A/N â€" Hey guys, sorry for making you wait but I haven’t had much time to write recently. This is a continuation of the last chapter because there are so many things we decided to add in. There isn’t much of Timmy and Gibb’s in this one because we decided to concentrate more on the other relationships for the time being but don’t worry, they will be back in full swing later on!
As always I want to say a big thank you to my girl Alisa, without her this story wouldn’t have turned out half as well as it has. Please let us know what you think and if you want to email her direct (and I know for a fact that she’d like to hear from you personally!) then her email address is:
neely alisa at yahoo .com (remove spaces and change 'at' to the to the symbol for it)
****************NCIS****************
Morgan sat next to Tony in the waiting room silently sipping on his hot coffee; He felt the warmth of Tony’s leg next to his and sighed quietly, he found having other people there while he waited comforting but something had been nagging at him since Director Vance had announced Tony’s temporary position as team leader, something he just couldn’t quite put his finger on. The feeling had grown on the journey back to the waiting room, the ominous silence hanging heavy in the air between them.
They had made it back to the waiting room and distributed the drinks to everybody before settling down back in the chairs to resume the waiting game that they had been playing for the better part of two hours, the atmosphere was thick with tension as they waited for news of their friends. Morgan fiddled with his coffee cup and glanced over at Tony, a small half-hearted smile gracing his face as he watched the man comfort what he understood to be his adopted little sister.
It was a relationship he understood seeing as he felt the same way about Reid and Garcia who had both been inducted into the Morgan clan a long time ago, hell, they even spent Christmas day with his family last year. What he couldn’t figure out was one aspect of the team dynamics, I mean, he understood Gibbs and McGee’s relationship â€" that was a no brainer â€" he understood where Tony, Abby and Ducky fitted in, what he couldn’t get his head around was where Ziva came into play and it bothered him, not just because she seemed prickly at the best of times, but because she was the a-typical cold fish who made it difficult for him to read.
Abby lifted her head up off Tony’s shoulder and looked over towards Morgan, cocking her head slightly with interest at the profiler’s deep interest in Tony. It struck her as strange and she wanted nothing more than to ask whether Morgan was ok but the question died on her lips when she looked up at Tony, their eyes meeting briefly before she dropped her head back to nestle in the crook of her friend’s neck.
‘Hey Abb’s, you ok sweetie?
Abby felt the tears prickle again and she swallowed hard to try to relieve the urge to cry.
‘Why haven’t we heard anything yet Tony? I mean we should have news by now shouldn’t we?’
He pulled her closer in an effort to sooth her but felt her jump up as Ducky entered the room. Ducky glanced at Tony, Abby and Ziva and removed his glasses to rub at his weary eyes.
‘Oh my, you really do all look exhausted’
He let his eyes roam around the room and noticed the remaining member of the BAU team standing so they could listen to what the ME had to say. Tony handed him a disposable mug of tea and offered a small smile when Ducky accepted it gratefully.
‘I got you earl gray Ducky, I’m not sure whether it’s the right one or not’
‘Thank you Anthony, it’s perfect. You know I started to drink this when my grandmot........’
Tony thought Abby was going to burst and watched as she bobbed up and down slightly in her agitated state. He could almost feel the frustration ooze off her when Ducky started one of his tales and tried to stop her when she moved forward slightly to interrupt.
‘Ducky! Are Timmy and the baby ok? How’s Gibbs? Please tell me they’re all going to be ok’
Ducky smiled at the excitable Goth in front of him and placed a hand gently on Abby’s shoulder to still her.
‘Of course Abigail, I’m sorry; this isn’t the time. Please calm yourself my dear and I’ll tell you’
He paused briefly to sip at the still hot tea and sighed contentedly as the earl grey soothed its way down his dry throat and looked up to address the room.
‘Young Timothy is fine and the good news is he’s not in early labour. The stress bought on a rather strong Braxton hick’s contraction and his blood pressure dropped causing him to faint. They have managed to bring his bp up to a healthier level and are moving him to a private room at this very moment. They will monitor both him and the little one overnight as a precaution’
Ducky could hear the collective sigh of relief at the news and raised the disposable cup to his mouth once again. Tony chuckled at the look of pure bliss on Ducky’s face when he inhaled the smell of bergamot deeply before taking another large drink. He nodded slightly and continued.
‘Jethro’s condition on the other hand is a bit more serious I’m afraid. The bullet somehow managed to penetrate his vest and is currently lodged in his shoulder. They will be taking him down to theatre to remove the bullet but unfortunately he has a grade two concussion so they won’t operate until tomorrow morning. He has already been moved up to his room and is resting as comfortably as he can given the circumstances’
Tony felt Ziva sidle up beside him and tried to take hold of her hand. He was startled when he felt her pull her hand back sharply and move away.
‘Ducky, leaving the bullet in his shoulder increases the risk of infection yes?’
Ducky frowned at the interchange between Tony and Ziva and shook his head sadly; he had known Ziva to completely withdraw in stressful situations and had noticed the way she moved away from her ex-lover.
‘Yes Ziva that is correct but they are more worried about the concussion then they are infection at the moment, the risks are much too high for them to operate.’
Tony had stuffed his hands in his pockets and he was shuffling his feet, he could feel the anger he had been suppressing all night start to surface, the feeling suffocating him slowly.
‘What are the risks Ducky, surely killing two fowl with one stone would be more prudent’
Ducky looked at Ziva with a deep frown, he had no idea where she was going with this kind of enquiry but quickly dismissed it as stress.
‘What do you mean Ziva? I’m afraid I don’t fully understand’
Ziva sighed loudly before continuing.
‘I have some knowledge about concussions Ducky. If it is a contra coupe injury then there is a high possibility of the brain swelling resulting in surgery anyway so maybe they could do both whilst he is down there’
Ducky laughed gently, he should have known the ex-Mossad agent would have some knowledge, albeit a little skewed, and tried to focus his attention on answering without worrying the other occupants of the room.
‘That is correct Ziva but I’m sure you’ll recall that any surgery on a patient with a concussion can result in the brain swelling, there is no need to put Jethro through that trauma if it isn’t necessary and as yet he isn’t displaying any symptoms of swelling so they are going to play it by ear and assess him in the morning, if they feel he is stable enough then they will remove the bullet. Trust me my dear; it is better for Jethro this way’
Tony felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head slightly to see Morgan standing behind him, he had obviously noticed Tony tense as his hands balled into frustrated fists and was trying to ground the senior NCIS agent. Tony sighed and relaxed slightly only to be annoyed when Ziva decided to continue the argument.
‘But Ducky..............’
Tony turned sharply and pointed at Ziva, the receding anger now flaring up in such a way he thought his blood was boiling.
‘Ziva for the love of god would you give it a rest. You are not a doctor so let them do their damn job in peace’
Tony’s shout reverberated through the room which soon descended into a deafening silence. He stormed towards the door and turned just before he left to face Ziva again.
‘Oh and by the way David, its birds not Fowl, Birds!’
With that he left leaving everyone standing in stunned silence at the outburst. Ducky watched Ziva’s face contort slightly and moved forward to hug her.
‘No Dr Mallard, I am fine. I see we are going back to the way it was when Gibbs went to Mexico, you would think the director would have more sense than to make him team leader again.’
Ducky blanched at the harsh angry words, he didn’t often lose his temper but the blatant disrespect for Tony’s position angered him.
‘Probationary Agent David, you are angry so may I suggest you take time to calm yourself before you say something you seriously regret'
Ducky kept his voice low and neutral so as not to show the cracks that were starting for form in his calm demeanour.
‘Regret? I don’t have regrets Ducky. I’m just voicing my opinion and I will tell him to his face that I don’t think he is suited to stepping up to the bowl’
She heard the slap before feeling the sting and looked at Abby with a stunned look on her face.
‘How dare you Ziva. Those three men risked their lives to rescue you from Somalia and this is how you repay them. I thought you were our friend but obviously I was wrong’
Abby followed Tony’s footsteps and did exactly as her friend had done previously and halted at the door.
‘Oh and another by the way Ziva, its plate. Stepping up to the plate’
****************NCIS****************
Abby found Tony sitting at one of the table in the Cafeteria. It was quiet at the moment so she grabbed two coffees and mooched over to her friend.
‘You want some company Tony?’
Tony raised is head and smiled at Abby. She noticed the smile didn’t extend to his eyes and sat down replacing the empty cup in front of him.
‘Thanks Abb’s. Guess I’ve got some explaining to do’
He reached across the table and waited for Abby to take his hand; he hated feeling so damn needy but needed the comfort that was offered.
‘Not to me Tony, you wanna talk?
Tony took a deep breath and looked intently at his best friend sitting opposite him; he knew that if there was one person in the world who would listen to him without forming an opinion it would be her.
‘It’s just.........shit Abb’s, we’re back to this again. You know when bossman got amnesia through that bomb and I got the opportunity to run the team?’
Abby nodded, she had an inkling she knew where this was going but knew Tony had to get it off his chest.
‘They didn’t accept me then but now, crap; now it’s a whole lot worse. I’m not afraid to tell ya that the proverbial shit is going to hit big time’
Tony rubbed his face with his free hand and laughed hollowly. Abby started to say something but he cut her dead.
‘Don’t Abb’s, you don’t think I’ve noticed the looks Ziva’s been throwing me and did you see the way she pulled back when I tried to comfort her? And you know what the piece de resistance is going to be, well hell, throw a pregnant with the boss’s baby McGee in and we have a regular little DiNozzo hate mob going on. You know what she said last time when I told her my gut was missing something?’
Abby shook her head
‘She said quote ‘Gibbs’. For fuck sake, she couldn’t be subtle if she tried. She made it obvious by the things she said that she didn’t think I was up for it. I don’t think they like the campfires either but they help me sort things out, think I might give them a miss this time’
Abby laughed slightly and moved over to Tony to sit in his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck to pull him into a hug.
‘Ziva really said that?, huh. Listen Tony, I don’t want you to worry ok, McGee won’t be like that. Ziva I’m not too sure about but McGee? Come on it works in his favour, he gets to play senior agent for a while’
Tony wrapped his arms around his girl and leaned into her embrace.
‘He’s on desk duty remember, he doesn’t say anything but he’s already pissed enough at being stuck at that desk and now he’s got me as his boss. Trust me Abbs, that isn’t going to go down well at all’
‘Tony, please. Give it a go. Whatever you do though, don’t let them see you like this’
She stood up and sat back down in the chair, the glint in her eyes made her look slightly mischievous.
‘Tonyboy, this is your time to shine and if it takes my last ounce of strength to make you do it then by god I will make you shine like the star you are’
Tony couldn’t help but giggle and lifted Abby’s hand and kissed the palm.
‘Thanks Abb’s, I knew I could rely on you. Well you and my fella’
Abby’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Tony’s man and she decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to broach the subject that had been bothering her.
‘Hey Tony....um......don’t get upset but I’ve kinda been meaning to talk to you about that’
Tony looked up at her suspiciously; he had been expecting this conversation but had thankfully got away with it so far.
‘Listen, I know things are going really well for you right now but I’m worried. I know you use protection but nothing is a hundred percent safe. Please Tony it’s an easy test to find out whether you can conceive or not, will you get checked out for me?’
He sighed and let go of her hand
‘Abby please, I don’t want to discuss this right now ok; it’s been a long day and all I wan......’
‘Tony please, It’s for your own good, I’ll even come with you to offer moral support. What harm could it do?’
Tony looked up and saw the genuine concern in Abby’s green eyes; she really did wear her heart on her sleeve which just made it more difficult for him to turn her down.
‘Ok Abb’s just not right now, I’ve got too much to think about as it is’
She jumped up and kissed him on the cheek, part of her knew he was humouring her but the rest of her knew he would give in eventually and take the test.
‘I think you’ve got a visitor Tony. I’ll leave you two alone to talk. See you later’
He glanced behind him and blushed as his visitor walked over and replaced Abby, he had a distinct feeling that Abby knew who his new man was and judging by the tone of the ‘I’ll leave you two alone to talk’ part he knew it wouldn’t be long before they had that talk again. He watched Abby bounce out of the Cafeteria, only briefly pausing to say hello.
Tony turned and sipped at the tepid coffee, wincing at the bitter taste it left. His face softened when he felt two strong hands start to massage his shoulders and soon melted back into the touch that he had so desperately wanted throughout this whole ordeal.
‘Hey baby boy, you alright?’
****************NCIS****************
Jethro was torn from his dreamless sleep by a stabbing pain in his shoulder and the relentless pounding in his head. Damn he hated concussions at the best of times but was cursing this one for stopping the doctors sending him into a blissful medicated sleep. He sighed and gritted his teeth against the agony, turning his head slightly to see who was sitting with him.
Ducky noticed the movement and stood up next to the bed to make it easier for Jethro to see him.
‘Ah Jethro, how are you feeling?’
‘Like crap Duck, where’s Tim?’
Ducky looked down towards the raised railing on the bed and sighed; he had no idea how he was going to play this one without worrying his dear friend and making sure the stubborn fool stayed in the bed.
‘Timothy is resting at the moment Jethro and will be here in the morning’
Jethro’s eyes narrowed, he had seen the uncomfortable look in Ducky’s eyes and knew there was something he wasn’t telling him, the fact that he could read his friend like a book helped and found it strange that Tim hadn’t been there at all when he had been awake.
‘Cut the crap Duck, where is he. Is he ok?
Jethro tried to sit up but collapsed back onto the pillows panting as a new wave of pain shot through both injuries, Ducky reached over for the controls and raised it slightly allowing Jethro to sit comfortably without straining himself.
‘Jethro if I tell you then you have to promise not to worry. Firstly everything is fine with both young Timothy and the little one’
Jethro was too tired for this, all he wanted was to see Tim and then drift back off into a painless slumber but his friend was making it difficult. He felt the irritation rising and tried to give Ducky the patented Gibb’s stare, only to find himself squinting harshly against the light.
‘Ah yes, sorry Jethro they can’t give you any stronger pain killers due to the concus..........Oh sorry, anyway. Timothy fainted upon arrival after experiencing some pain in his abdomen......Jethro what......for god sake man lay down, he’s fine’
Ducky placed his hand firmly in the middle of Jethro’s chest and pushed the struggling man down firmly; he had expected a reaction like this but hoped his injuries would stop him from actually trying to get up.
‘Let me go Duck, I need to see him.......arghh’
Jethro had managed to sit up fully and had started to pull off the leads that monitored his heart; Duck pulled away his hand away and held it down in Jethro’s lap firmly whilst reattaching the leads.
‘He’s fine Jethro and the baby’s fine, it was just a reaction to the shock of seeing you injured, he’ll be in here overnight but will be in to see you in the morning’
‘They’re really ok Duck?’
Ducky couldn’t help but smile at the slurred words and nodded, he knew his friend was moments away from sleep and sat back down in the hard chair.
‘They are more than fine. You’re son has quite the little kick there. Now get some rest Jethro, you have a big day tomorrow’
‘Huh’
Ducky reached over and patted his friend’s hand knowing the confusion was part and parcel of the concussion.
‘They’ll be taking you down to theatre tomorrow morning to remove the bullet but in the meantime you need to rest. A nurse will be here in an hour to do the concussion checks so how about you try to get some sleep in the meantime’
He sat and watched as Jethro’s eyes closed and sighed with relief when he heard the shallow, rhythmic breathing that signalled sleep. He settled back and continued to read the newspaper he had bought with him and sighed quietly.
‘Jethro my dear boy, this is going to be a long night’
****************NCIS****************
Ziva sat in the waiting room feeling alone and tired, the day had taken its toll but the recent argument had left her feeling as though she was being scrutinized by Agent Hotcner and Reid. It wouldn’t have bothered her so much if they weren’t profilers but the fact that they were made her feel as though the walls were closing in on her.
Hotch had been making silent notes on his note pad when his phone rang loudly through the silent room, it gave Ziva the perfect opportunity to leave so she stood sharply and walked to the door, narrowly missing bumping into Abby on the way in. She really needed to clear the air so reached out and grabbed Abby’s arm.
‘Abby, can I talk to you please?’
Abby stopped and scowled at her with eyes full of fire and venom.
‘No Ziva you can’t. I just can’t talk to you right now because I’m so angry’
Ziva nodded slightly and felt a lone tear trickle down her face, it wasn’t often she let her emotions show but this was too much even for her to bear. She saw her team as her family and knew she had pushed too far.
Abby watched the tear quiver at Ziva’s chin before dropping silently to the silk blouse leaving a dark stain in his wake. She felt her resolve soften slightly but knew that now wouldn’t be the time to talk.
‘Ziva, no no don’t cry. I’m just really annoyed at you right now but we will talk ok’
Ziva nodded and let go of Abby’s arm, she didn’t silently walked through the door and made her way over to the nurse’s station to see where Tim had been taken.
‘Special AgentTimothy McGee, yeah he’s been taken to the OBY/GN department which is situated in building nine on the second floor but I don’t think they are letting visitors in at this time though honey so it might be better to come back tomorrow’
Ziva smiled sweetly at the elderly nurse that manned the station and thanked her, visiting hours didn’t mean anything and she knew she’d manage to get in somehow. She walked down the corridor to the elevator and punched the button, waiting patiently until the car arrived to take her to see the one person she hadn’t managed to alienate. She felt her eyes sting with the tears that threatened once again and tried to compose herself before entering the lift and making her way up to Tim.
****************NCIS****************
‘Tim, how are you feeling?’
Tim was lying on the bed feeling miserable. He was still hooked up to the foetal monitor and was currently fiddling with the thick black straps to try to make them more comfortable. He turned at the accented voice and smiled ruefully at Ziva standing in the door.
‘I’m ok Zee, just worried out of my mind and need to get to J. come on in and sit down. Have you heard how he’s doing, they won’t tell me anything’
Ziva walked over to the chair and sat down, her eye’s roamed down to Tim’s naked abdomen and couldn’t help but reach over and lay her hand on top.
‘He is fine McGee, Ducky is with him. There is no sign of swelling so the surgery has been scheduled for tomorrow morning. Is everything well McGee, I mean the baby is doing well?’
Tim sighed as the relief washed over him, he was still worried about his lover but the fact that the surgery had been scheduled was a good sigh, he chuckled lightly and relaxed back into the bed.
‘He’s fine Zee, if anything he doesn’t like this damn monitor and keeps trying to kick it off’
Ziva laughed and relaxed back watching the tiny blips on the monitor intently. Tim frowned and reached down to grab her hand, it wasn’t often he saw his friend looking so morose and it bothered him. He watched as the tears fell from her eyes and sat up as much as he could.
‘Hey, Ziva what’s happened?’
Ziva felt the embarrassment rise at her public display of emotion and pulled her hand away letting her mask fall firmly back into place.
‘It is nothing McGee; it’s just been a long day’
Tim nodded and looked at the door ruefully, he had been trying to find a way to get down to Jethro but hadn’t had much luck so far, the nurses had even gone as far as to threaten restraints if he didn’t stay in bed and leave the monitors and IV alone.
‘Yeah I know, I really want to be with him Zee but I swear the nurses on this ward are little Hitler’s and threatened to tie me down if I didn’t leave the equipment alone and stay in bed. I’ve tried to escape twice, he’s definitely ok though?’
The thought of Tim trying to escape made Ziva laugh loudly and she looked over towards the door to see the nurses bustling about outside.
‘He is not out of the forest but he is ok and the nurses mean well McGee. I’m sure Gibbs would want you to stay in that bed until they feel you are ready to leave’
He huffed and reached over to grab the drink the nurses had bought in just before Ziva arrived. He took a sip and cringed at the warm water.
‘Woods Ziva, it’s woods and I know what J would say to me leaving but I’m going out of my mind’
Ziva looked down at her hands and started to pick absently at the skin around her fingernails.
‘I can’t seem to get anything right this evening, you know the Director has given Tony the team in Gibb’s absence’
The simple statement was said quietly and Tim gagged as the mouthful of water he had made him choke slightly. Ziva stood and grabbed his arm roughly to pull him up into a sitting position and smacked his back to try to ease the coughing fit and helped him lay back against the pillows when it had passed. She reached down into her bag and grabbed the cold water bottle out and offered it to Tim.
‘Thanks. What........seriously? Shit, I mean I know he’s the senior agent but this case is tough and after last time.................’
He trailed off and thought back to when Tony had control of the team, it hadn’t really been that bad but Tony had started to take on Gibb’s traits which had annoyed the hell out of him. Tony had gone too far with the headslaps losing any bit of respect he had gained from his team mates.
‘I know McGee, trust me when I say that I understand. I got into an argument in the waiting room and verbalised my views, I don’t think anyone is happy with me right now’
Tim looked at the doleful brown eyes and sighed, he knew it wouldn’t be for long but the fact that Tony had gained control of the team once again sent a jolt of regret surging through him; Tony just didn’t take things seriously enough to be team leader
‘I’m not sure how that is going to work Zee but it’s what the director wants so we’ll just have to grin and bear it. It’s not going to be forever so just work through it ok. Let’s just concentrate on getting everyone fighting fit again. Hey don’t worry ok, everyone will calm down and today’s been stressful, we all say things in the heat of anger Zee’
Ziva nodded slightly and smiled at Tim, she really didn’t want t continue this conversation and reached down to her bag again and pulled out a deck of playing cards.
‘McGee, I bought some cards from the gift shop, why don’t we play a game, it might help you relax a little bit’
Tim reached over and pulled the table closer thankful for the diversion that the game provided, He had been sitting there bored out of his mind and worrying about his lover whilst staring at the cream walls of his hospital room and was more than relieved when Ziva arrived.
‘Ok, it might help me relax a little bit, you deal. What are we playing?’
Ziva deftly shuffled the cards and dealt them Ten cards each before placing the rest of the deck in between the two.
‘I believe you call it Gin Rummy?
They soon settled into the game and talked freely about their fears, Tim was sure of one thing though, as much as he loved Tony, the senior agent would never be able to fill his lover’s shoes.
****************NCIS****************
Tony had left the hospital at around ten and was currently standing in front of the large plasma in the bull pen. He had replayed the video of the op five times and was still clueless as to how it went south so fast. He threw down the wireless mouse and ran his hands over his face.
‘Shit, come on DiNozzo, think............’
He sat down in his chair and leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head, this case was starting to sap every last bit of resolve he had and he knew he had to find answers fast so that Vance didn’t come down on him like a ton of bricks.
‘Working late Tony, I thought you’d gone home’
He sat up in his chair and came face to face with Derek Morgan, the soft concern in those brown eyes making him chuckle lightly.
‘Yeah well, if you speak to my team they’ll tell you I do my best work at night, anyway, what are you doing here, weren’t you going back to Quantico tonight’
Morgan nodded lightly and moved round to Tony’s side of the desk and perched.
‘Yeah but my bag and car are here so I swung by to collect them. Listen, it’s been a long day and you are too tired to figure this all out now so how bout we got for a drink’
‘You’re not driving all the way to Quantico after having a drink’
Morgan’s face broke into a huge grin and he winked cheekily at Tony.
‘Yeah but you have a couch I can crash on so what do you say, I’m only gonna be coming back first thing in the morning anyway’
Tony turned off his computer and picked his Jacket up from the back of the chair.
‘I say lead the way, I know this great little bar just round the corner’
Morgan clapped Tony on the shoulder and followed him over to the elevator. Tomorrow is a new day but for now, he was going to have a drink with Tony in order to try to wind down and forget the events of the day.
****************NCIS****************
Hey guys, sorry it’s a jumpy one this time round but it was the only way I could write this chapter, you’ll understand why all the information had to be included in the later chapters.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and as usual, don’t forget to tell us what you think.
Shelbylou x
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.