Gibbs and Jenny ran into the house first with McGee and Tony following closely behind. Backup was running in through the back door and were surrounding the area. Shouts of, "NCIS" filled the air. Tony, McGee, and three other cops went downstairs while everyone else went upwards. There was only one house matching the description Ziva made. They swept the room and continued on their way to the back door. Tony and McGee got on either side of it. They looked at each other and nodded then looked at the other cops. When everyone nodded Tony kicked the door in and saw this room was empty except for a web cam and a girl slouched in the chair. Tony ran over to her and lifted her head when they all heard shouting and shooting erupt upstairs. "Go, I've got her."
McGee led the rest of the agents upstairs so they could fight in the gun fight. Tony started untying Ziva and checking her vitals. Welp, Tony thought, she's alive. Finally after untying her Tony dropped a hand to her cheek. Ziva's eyes flew open and she cringed away before she saw it was Tony. "Hey, Z, it's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just me."
Ziva slowly turned her head to look in Tony's eyes. He held his arms out and Ziva threw herself in them and started sobbing. "Oh Tony!" He wrapped his arms around her just happy to know he hadn't lost her again.
There was a scream and then the house fell silent. Nobody even took a breath. Tony stood up with Ziva still in his arms. Where was the gunfire? Everything was silent, everything was quiet. They inched up the stairs as sirens sounded outside. The paramedics were supposed to be here when they were but they move slower than NCIS. Tony set Ziva down next to the front door and took his gun out. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere or do anything stupid." She glared at his back as he made his way up the stairs.
As Tony rounded the corner he saw Jenny on her back and Gibbs and everyone else shell-shocked even the guy they were after. They were in a trance or something as her precious life source flowed out of her. Tony dropped to his knees beside her. "Jenny! Jen, you gotta stay with me!" Tony pushed on your wound, her blood staining his hands. Jenny's hand wrapped around Tony's arm and she pulled his head to hers.
"Tony, tell Gibbs," before Jenny could finish her eyes started closing. "Wait, Jen! What am I supposed to tell Gibbs!" The paramedics rushed in and pushed Tony to the side.
They lifted Jenny onto a gurney and that snapped everyone out of their trance as they all dove for the guy who shot Jenny. Gibbs looked from the guy to Jenny being wheeled away and back to the guy. It was just like Paris. When Jenny was shot on assignment. He wanted to be with her but he wanted to nail the bastard who did that to his Jenny. To HIS partner. To HIS love. No matter what, Jenny would be HIS, and not in the possessive way. She was his because they vowed to each other they were each others. Now that didn't seem to be the case.
Gibbs turned his back on Jenny's body and stalked over to Rivkin. "You are going to hell and I'm taking you there." Gibbs growled and glared dangerously at Rivkin. Tony wanted to kill him too but he'd leave that to Gibbs.
Tony instead ran after Jenny. He scooped Ziva into his arms and led her to a second ambulance. "Where are you taking them?" Tony got the directions and left with McGee right behind him. They had their lights flashing and following the ambulances every move.
When they got to the hospital they followed the gurney with Jenny as Ziva was taken to a room to get checked out. When they finally got to a door that said staff only they knew they were at the end of their journey. Jenny's life was pouring out of her just like her blood. A nurse came over to McGee and Tony and led them to a private room since this was the director of NCIS and if they didn't move them, reporters would be flocking in like geese asking them questions. Once they were in the room and left alone Tony broke. It was painful for McGee to see. Tony sobbing into his hands while sitting on the floor, even though there was a perfectly good couch right over there. McGee sat on the ground next to Tony and just sat there. It was hard for him too but Tony was closer to Jenny than he was.
After a while Ziva was led back to their little room and she ran straight to Tony. Well actually, she limped straight towards Tony. "Tony, she'll be alright. Jenny's tough. She makes it through everything."
Usually this was Tony's line to Ziva but not when it was Jenny or Gibbs. They meant too much to him. He looked up and there she saw it. She saw what she was really hoping not to see. Tony shook his head. "No Z, you didn't see her eyes. The way they were draining as each second stroked on. I don't think she's going to be alright." Ziva bit her lip in an effort to contain her tears. "I'm sorry Z." Tony put an arm around Ziva's shoulder and brought her to his side. This was going to be hard on all of them.
A few hours later Tally and Gibbs walked in. Ziva stood up almost falling back on Tony in her hast. She then ran over to Tally and wrapped her in a hug. "Tattelah, how are you?"
Tally laughed at Ziva's worried expression. "Mother, I am fine. I am worried though. I have gotten very close to Jenifer." Just like Ziva Tally hated crying in front of anyone but tears were forming in her eyes. Ziva pulled her over to a couch in the upper left hand corner of the room. "Mom, do you think she will make it?"
Before Ziva could answer a doctor walked in. "Is this the family for Director Jenifer Shepard?" Everyone came near him and nodded. He motioned for everyone to sit on the couches in the centre of the room. "Well, I have good news, bad news, and worst news. The good news is that the director is alive, the bad news is she's in a coma, and the worst news is that we don't know if she'll wake up." Ziva gasped and Tally hid her face in Ziva's hair. "There is a chance but it's very slim. Your all a group of detectives and ex-detectives so I'm going to give it to you straight. When your director got shot the bullet barely missed her heart but it had lodged itself in her blood vessel and it hit her ribs. A piece of her ribs broke and punctured her lungs." The doctor took a deep breath. No one liked giving this kind of news. "We were able to patch up her lungs and stop the bleeding from the vessels but she lost a substantial amount of blood. If she wakes up she can have neurological damage. We will have to see. Right now she is in the ICU." The doctor shook their hands and walked to the door. "In a little while I'll send a nurse to take you to a different room upstairs."
No one talked for quite some time. The only thing that was heard was quiet sobbing from Ziva and Tally. No one expected this to happen today. They expected Ziva to be found, Ziva to be saved, a family reunion, and they were going to catch a bad guy. They did not expect this. Gibbs stared blankly at the wall trying to think of nothing. Trying to empty his mind but flashbacks of him and Jenny in Paris and his love for her kept coming up. Then the flashbacks would transfer to images of how Shannon and Kelly were murdered and how he had always beat himself up for that. Nothing can prepare you for loosing a loved one, but they hadn't lost Jen yet and Gibbs was going to remind her just that as soon as he could.
The nurse came and took them upstairs then they let Gibbs go and see Jenny. He walked in there and pulled a chair to her bedside. Gibbs took her hand in his and made a move not to cringe at the coldness he felt. He started rubbing soft circles over her hand. "Hey Jen. I know you might not be able to hear me but I'm here. Just like I told you I would be."
Inside Jenny's head~~
Jenny looked around timidly. She didn't know where she was. The last thing she remembered was getting shot and trying to tell Dinozzo to tell Gibbs she loved him but she hadn't gotten that far. Now she was somewhere with white clouds, blue sky's, and a playground. She didn't see anyone so she went and sat on the swing. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. She found a rhythm and she was getting tired but kept her mind active. If she let her mind go she felt as if she'd go with it. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself flying. She was startled by a voice behind her. "Hello Jenny. It's nice to see you again my dear."
She slowed the swing and turned to see her father walking towards her. "Father? Is that you?" She was very surprised. Well then again I might be dead, she thought as he continued towards her. He smiled his megawatt smile and sat on a swing next to her.
"Yes, it is me." He reached over and pulled Jenny into a hug and she never wanted to let go. "Before you ask, no you aren't dead. You're in a coma and I've been sent to help you figure it out." He smiled at her and she had no choice but to smile back.
"I missed you daddy." Jenny was a full grown woman but her dad was her dad and he'd always been daddy to her. He got up and kissed her forehead.
"Me too, red. I'm sorry this has to happen but you have to go back to them sometime baby girl. Your life with Agent Gibbs isn't finished yet, hell it hasn't even begun." Jenny kicked at the dirt on the ground. She should have known this wasn't going to last. Jenny's father lifted her chin so she was looking him in the eye. "Hey, don't worry about me. I'll be waiting here patiently for you. I don't want to see you again, unless, it's your time to see me, red. Listen to your heart and everything will turn out all right." He gave her a hug and disappeared in her arms.
"I'll miss you daddy." She sat on the ground for a minute before hearing someone saying something. She was trying real hard to make out the words but she could only make out the tone. It sounded like Gibbs. Did he say he was there? She tried to focus more intensely.
Back At The Hospital In Jenny's Room~~
Gibbs kissed the back of her palm and smiled at her. "We'll get through this Jenny. We always get through everything. I promise you Jen, I promise you, that I won't leave you again. I love ya Jen." As the words came tumbling out of his mouth Jenny's heart monitor started going hay-wire. It had started beeping like she was dying. Doctors and nurses came rushing in and pushed him towards the back of the room. He was trying to listen to what they were saying but he couldn't. His eyes were glued to the heart monitor. The last thing he saw before they pushed him out of the room was her heartbeat line going flat.
Author's Chapter Notes:
They find Ziva and Jen gets shot
Chapter End Notes:
sorry its taking me so long to update