“A Friend in Needâ€� â€" Chapter Twenty-Four

As Tim walked back into the waiting room, he was bowled over by a weeping Abby, who was babbling incoherently as she threw herself into his arms. After having cleaned himself up as best he could with hot water and paper towels from the Men’s Room of the ER, still rather damp and shaky, he thought, ‘God, I was only gone a few minutes, how could something else terrible have happened? This day is never going to end.’ Mindlessly embracing her, McGee’s heart immediately began pounding after he looked around and discovered that Ducky and Gibbs were no longer in the room. The only explanation he could come up with was that Tony’s condition had deteriorated even further, or that, worse yet, he’d died. His eyes sought out Ziva, who seemed, for some inexplicable reason, to be moving in slow motion towards him. Looking down at Abby, he tried to focus on what she was saying, but the sudden roaring in his ears was making it hard to hear actual words, as his panic and dread battled for dominance.

Finally some of what Abby was saying started to sink in, “…….and then he just collapsed, and Ziva had to catch him. Ducky got a gurney and they rushed away with him, and we don’t know what is going on. Maybe it was a heart attack! What if he dies too????� Abby was wailing, when Ziva got over to them.

“Abby, that is enough! Gibbs did not have a heart attack!� Ziva snapped, as she watched what little color McGee still had left in his face drain away. “It all just caught up with him at once,� she explained to McGee calmly. “Apparently he was slightly wounded by some flying debris while we were in the gun battle in the hallway, but his anger at the, the...� she paused there and looked at Abby for help.

“Dirtbags,� Abby, who was hiccupping slightly, as she tried to stop her tears, managed to supply the word for Ziva.

Nodding her head, Ziva said, “Yes, the dirtbags. His anger with the dirtbags and what they did to Tony has been sustaining him, but now everything is starting to wind down, and he’s used up all of his adrenaline and caffeine,� she added, as one side of her mouth turned up. “He will be fine after he rests for a little while, and perhaps has a cup of coffee. It is no small deal.�

“No big deal,� McGee corrected, as he hugged Abby tighter to his chest, while his heartbeat slowly began to return to normal. “I think you meant big deal. And I know that none of us are up to coping with another big deal right now.�

Ziva rolled her eyes at him, then stuck out her tongue, which caused all three of them, and Courtney, who was used to Ziva's mangling of the English language, to break out in uncontrollable laughter. The rest of the people in the waiting room stared at them in confusion. Even though it may have been inappropriate, given the circumstances, the banter seemed to lighten the mood in the room to a more bearable level, and they all settled down to wait for reports on how Tony, Fornell, and now Gibbs, were doing.

While all of that was happening in the waiting room, Ducky stood in one of the examining rooms, after having had a brief, private conversation with the attending doctor. He’d explained just enough of what Gibbs had been through the last couple of days for the man to understand the condition Gibbs was in, and together they had come up with a plan. While he watched, the doctor, who was holding a hypodermic needle, was explaining to Gibbs that they would need to remove the splinters and clean the puncture sites. The doctor said that he was going to give him a shot of local anesthetic in his left shoulder to help dull the pain before the extractions began. After plunging the needle into Gibbs’ arm, he said, “Now, we’ll just wait a couple of minutes for the drug to take effect, and then we can start.�

While he lay there, Gibbs could feel all the muscles in his body start to relax, not just those in his arm and shoulder, and before he could open his mouth and demand to know exactly what had been in that hypo, his eyes fluttered shut. “I’m sorry, Jethro,� Ducky told his now sleeping friend, “but you simply had to get some rest, and I knew you wouldn’t agree to that if left on your own. I’m going to take all your backup weapons for safekeeping, and then Dr. Rippenger here, is going to remove the splinters from your shoulder and arm. You’ll be awake again in about three hours, and then you can have the satisfaction of expressing your outrage over being tricked.� With the help of an orderly, Ducky removed the bullet proof vest Gibbs was wearing, and slid out the knives from the sheaths on his belt and left calf, and the gun from the ankle holster on his right leg. “You are almost as bad as Ziva,� Ducky told his unconscious friend as he disarmed him, “so that is exactly whom I shall entrust with your arsenal.�

The nurses and Dr. Rippenger watched with amusement as Ducky carried on his one way conversation with Gibbs. When the older man moved away from the table, Dr. Rippenger said, “This won’t take me long. Once I’ve got them out, the areas cleaned, and a few dressing put in place, we’ll just let him sleep. I’ll come get you when it looks like he’s starting to wake up. Will you still be in the waiting room?�

“Yes, I’m afraid it will take a great deal more time for the doctors to help our other agent,� Ducky told him with a sad smile. “If they transfer him up to the ICU before Jethro here has awakened, I will let you know. Thank you for agreeing to assist me in ensuring he got some much needed rest. He may be very angry when he wakes up, but at least he’ll have more strength. I’m afraid we’re all going to need as much of that as we can find today.�

“You’re most welcome, Dr. Mallard,� Rippenger answered. “You hang in there.�

“I shall certainly endeavor to do so,� Ducky answered, as he opened the door to let himself out. When he got into the central portion of the ER, he could see into the room where they were treating Tony, and he stopped for a second to observe. The room was full of people, and it was hard to tell exactly what was happening. Tony had a full oxygen mask over his face, and Ducky couldn’t see whether or not he’d been intubated. Two nurses were working on pulling gravel out of the bottom of his feet, while Dr. Pitt was leaning over the top half of him, stethoscope to his chest. Another doctor seemed to be examining his hands and shoulders, and Ducky supposed she was an orthopedic specialist. A portable c-scan sat to the side of the bed, and Ducky presumed they had already used it to get x-rays of various parts of Tony’s body. Monitors were keeping track of his heart rate, his oxygen levels, and various other functions, and everyone in the room seemed alert and slightly on edge, as they bustled about doing their various tasks. Knowing there was nothing he could do to help, and not wanting to get in the way, Ducky took a deep breath, and headed out to the waiting room, aware that he would be bombarded by questions the minute he appeared.

“How’s Gibbs?� Abby demanded as she shot to her feet the instant she saw Ducky.

“Sleeping,� Ducky answered smugly, and noticed that Ziva raised an eyebrow and looked at him questioningly. Ducky smiled over at Ziva and added, “The doctor gave him a sedative so they could remove the splinters without discomforting him. He will be awake and just fine in a few hours,� he said.

“I am sure he will be most appreciative of that concern for his comfort,� Ziva observed wryly.

“One can only hope,� Ducky answered her with a quick smirk, since they both knew he would be furious, even if it had been done for his own good. Ducky drew out the gun and two knives that he had stashed in his jacket pockets before he’d left Gibbs’ room. As he handed them to Ziva he said, "I thought it best that someone from his team watched over these for Gibbs. I don’t think he’ll be needing them for awhile.�

“What about Tony?� Abby demanded. “Tell us what’s happening with him.�

“The doctors all seem to be working quite hard to help him,� Ducky told her. “But I don’t know what exactly they are doing for him, nor what they’ve discovered.�

“But you were right there,� Abby stated vehemently. “How can you not know?�

“Abby, his room was filled with medical personnel, all hard at work. I did not think it wise to interrupt them to request a report, nor do anything that might slow them down in giving Tony all the attention he needs. They will come tell us what is happening just as soon as they are able. When I was coming out here, I saw Dr. Pitt working on him, and he knows we’ll be waiting anxiously. Give them time,� Ducky advised, as he reached out to pat Abby’s cheek. “You want what’s best for Tony, don’t you?�

“How can you even ask that?� Abby demanded indignantly. “Of course I do. I’m just worried,� she admitted to Ducky, in a much smaller voice, knowing he was right.

“I know that my dear,� Ducky said. “We all are. If concern could be converted into healing, Tony would be all better by now,� he told her gently. “But as it is, we shall simply have to wait, and think positive thoughts.� Ducky wasn’t at all sure that wishing hard ever helped, how could he, considering what he did all day, every day. But he knew it gave those who waited something to do; something that at least made them feel as if their presence mattered.

Time dragged by for those in the waiting room, every minute felt like an hour, and the hours felt like weeks. The room began to fill with food and drink as both NCIS and FBI agents, who were done with work for the day, started to drop by to show solidarity, and to find out if there was any new information on how their colleagues were doing. Out of respect for the NCIS team’s privacy, most chose to stay just long enough to offer a few words of support, and to make sure there was nothing they could do for anyone. A muted cheer had gone up when a surgeon had come in and announced that Fornell was out of surgery, that there had been no difficulties in removing the bullet, and that he would make a complete recovery. When they learned that he had been moved up to the fourth floor, the same one Merit was on, many of the Bureau agents had left to go up for a visit, leaving Ducky and the team alone, with Morgan, Courtney, and Webb remaining as the FBI’s principle representatives. Jimmy Palmer arrived not too long after the migration upstairs, carrying coffee and Caf-Pows, along with a bag of burgers and fries. After he’d been updated, he took a seat next to the rest of his people, and they all returned to their silent wait for news, while the untouched food slowly cooled on the table next to them.

It was a little after six by the time a tired looking Dr. Pitt stepped into the waiting room to speak with Tony’s team. He gazed around at the small crowd that had gathered, not recognizing the majority of people in the room. He knew they were all now looking at him with interest, and he found it disconcerting. Finally he spotted Ducky, Jimmy, Abby, McGee and Ziva, the woman who had taken Kate’s place, sitting together in a tight clump, over in a far corner. “So, where’s Gibbs?� were the first words out of his mouth when he got over to them. “I can’t stay long. I need to get back to Tony, but thought I’d come out and give you a quick update.�

“In the room across from Tony,� Ducky answered, knowing Brad would have been too busy to pay attention to anything else that was going on in the ER. “He was on the brink of collapse, and needed a little medical attention himself. Dr. Rippenger and I felt it was necessary for him to sleep for a least a few hours, and took the necessary steps to ensure that happened. He should be up and moving around again in an hour or so.�

“Well, you’ll just have to bring him up to speed then,� Brad told Ducky, not at all pleased that Tony’s boss wasn’t there to hear what he had to say, and knowing that Gibbs was going to be even more unhappy than he was. “We’re still working on Tony, trying to stabilize him enough to get him up to the ICU. There weren’t any real big surprises; your analysis of his condition at the scene was pretty accurate. The good news is, that although he does have a severe case of bronchitis, it hasn’t developed into pneumonia yet, and with a little bit of luck, and a lot of precaution, I’m hoping we can avoid that development. Both of his shoulders were dislocated, and the orthopedist has already relocated them. We’ll need to immobilize him so he can’t redamage them. Some of the nerves and muscles around the shoulders were damaged as well, and he’ll be in a great deal of pain from that when he wakes up. His wrists were both broken, probably caused by a combination of his weight, and jerking on them repeatedly, so that, coupled with the shoulders, means he won’t have any use of his arms for some time. We’ve dressed the cuts on his wrists, and put them in air splints to hold the wrists still, but that’s about all we can do to address that issue right now.� Brad paused there, to let all that sink in before he continued.

“What about the bruising around his midsection?� Ducky asked. “Any broken ribs?�

“No, we lucked out there, too,� Brad told him. “Three of them are cracked, but none are broken, which was a godsend. All things considered, a punctured lung would probably have killed him. His kidneys and spleen are severely bruised, but we haven’t seen any evidence of internal bleeding. We’ll be keeping an eye on that for the next several hours. If I had to guess, I’d say someone kicked the hell out of him.�

While Brad had been speaking, Abby had been pressing up against McGee. When he mentioned Tony having been kicked, it brought back all the memories of what she and Tony had gone through together years ago. Tony had been beaten and kicked then, too, and she remembered what his recovery had been like; she’d seen the DVD and knew this was going to be much worse. Not sure if she could watch him go through it again, she crawled into McGee’s lap, and buried her face in his shoulder, while he held her protectively. He and Ziva hadn’t been with the team when that had happened; as a matter of fact, Tony hadn’t even been NCIS at the time. He’d still been a detective with the Baltimore P.D. It was how Gibbs had met Tony, but McGee had heard the whole story from Abby once, years ago. In a fit of jealousy over their friendship and communication shorthand, he’d demanded to know if Abby had ever dated Tony. She'd told him about their captivity, and how Tony had saved them from Jeffers. When he’d heard the story, McGee had been embarrassed over his jealousy, although he’d certainly understood why Abby and Tony had grown to be so close. As he held Abby, he knew she was reliving what had happened back then. Using his hand to rub soft little circles on her back, he gently rocked her, and made soothing sounds, as he listened to Dr. Pitt continue with the description of Tony’s condition.

“Many of the lacerations on his back are infected, and we’ve got him on antibiotics to try and counter any worsening of the infections. We may be able to suture a few of them closed, but probably won’t be able to do that for the majority of them, as they have already started to scab over, so we’ll be treating them with wet to dry dressings. We’ve just started working on his back, and it’s going to take us some time to get that under control. We’ve already dealt with the injuries to his feet, which are going to be painful, and terribly inconvenient, but really the least of the injuries. I’m hoping we’ll be able to get him up to the ICU within the next two hours,� Brad told them. “I wish I had better news, but I guess it could have been worse. At least I’m pretty comfortable saying that, barring some unforeseeable complication, Tony is going to pull through. Which, all things considered, is pretty miraculous. I hope to hell you got the bastards that did this to him. I know that I’m supposed to be all about saving lives, but I’m not sure I’d lift a hand to help any one of them, even if they were lying bleeding at my feet!�

Ziva, who had sat rigidly at attention all through Brad’s recitation, gave him a ferocious smile and in a blood chilling voice assured him, “Rest assured Doctor, we got them, and it was most satisfying to look at them lying bleeding at my feet.� The FBI agents, who had moved closer when Dr. Pitt started talking, so that they could hear about how Tony was doing, looked first at Ziva, and then at each other, in shock. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand the yearning for revenge and retribution, but the innate savagery in her response stunned them.

“Yes, well,� Brad managed, looking over at Ducky for guidance, as he too suddenly seemed to be at a loss for words, even though it was his own sentiments that had prompted Ziva’s response.

“Thank you for briefing us,� Ducky said smoothly, standing up to usher Brad back to the ER. “I know you need to get back to Tony, so we certainly don’t want to keep you. Please let us know if anything changes, or if you get ready to move him,� he said, as he propelled the younger man out of the room.

“Ms. David is certainly different from Kate,� Brad commented softly, after they had gotten to the door.

“Yes, but she’s a comfort to us all,� Ducky told him with an amused grin, as Brad looked over at him in surprise.

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Jenny rushed through the doors of Bethesda at 6:30. The operation at Calverton was winding down; the prisoners had all been treated, and were either in a hospital under guard, or in a holding cell over at the Hoover Building, all except for White, who had been dead at the scene. All that remained were the forensic teams, who were tearing apart the house, taking anything and everything, no matter how obscure, that might provide a clue or insight as to the criminals' activities. She knew they had found video recordings of the kidnapping victims, including one of Nussbaum, so there would be no way they could escape murder charges, for which she was very grateful. Several audio tapes had been found, although no one had time to listen to them yet, and there were reams of papers to go through. The only bad news in the whole operation was that no one had been able to locate Phelps or Cooper yet, despite the BOLOs for them, and their vehicles, and alerts at all nearby airports, bus stations, and railways. Their cell phones had already proven a dead end; Phelps’ was found out at Calverton, and Cooper’s in the back of a taxi driven by some poor hapless cabdriver who had freaked out when eight FBI agents had descended on him just as he had pulled to the curb to pick up a fare. Jenny had been tasked with the unenviable job of informing Gibbs about this development, or more accurately, lack of developments, since no one else wanted to be within range when he exploded after hearing the news. She didn’t blame them for their hesitance. She would have much preferred to be the bearer of better news.

When she got to the waiting room, she paused a moment before fully entering, silently taking in the scene in front of her. Webb, Morgan, Kreiger and a couple of other FBI agents she didn’t know were standing to one side, engaged in quiet conversation. Morgan had an arm protectively around Kreiger’s shoulders, and Jenny fleetingly thought again that Kreiger was lucky to have him as a team leader, but they weren't the objects of her search. The people she’d been looking for, her people, were sitting together in the back of the room, having pulled their chairs together to form a tight circle. Jenny smiled to herself. That circle was symbolic of what made this particular group of people so special. Not that you’d get a clue watching them on a typical day in the bullpen. They constantly bickered and sniped, but the support they offered each other, when the chips were down, far surpassed the usual ‘watching your six’ that was expected from team mates.

Sometimes she thought they were even tighter than the average family, although they all had ‘familial’ roles to play within the group dynamic. Ziva was the stern older sister, who often held herself aloof from her sillier, younger siblings, even though she’d protect them to the death against anyone who insulted them, or dared to try and hurt one of them. Abby and Tim were like quirky fraternal twins, so alike in some ways, and polar opposites in others, but impossibly lovable for all their peculiarities. Gibbs was the father, stern, iron fisted, and yet, underneath, capable of great love. Ducky served as the benevolent grandfather, who was generally content with offering comfort and words of wisdom, but just as prepared as the rest to defend in any way possible those he saw as his own. Jimmy, one of the newest members to the family, was like the goofy cousin that everyone loved, even if he wasn’t always taken seriously. And Tony, well, Tony was the heart of the family unit; the brash jokester who hid his own insecurities behind silly antics and a quick wit, the golden child who didn’t even realize how much the others looked up to him, depended on him. It was Tony, as much as Gibbs, who held them all together, as had been evident when Gibbs had taken his extended sabbatical in Mexico. It was also Tony who had the capacity to rip them apart. Jenny wasn’t sure the team would survive if Tony died, and she hoped they had some good news to share. Needing to fortify herself, she took a deep, steadying breath, and entered the room

Not bothering to pause and greet the FBI contingency, Jenny went directly over to where her team sat, saying, “No, don’t bother to get up,� when McGee, Ducky and Jimmy automatically began to stand. “Stay where you are.�

“At least let me get you a chair,� Jimmy insisted, when the others sat back down, and he hurried to fetch her one.

Jenny waited until he’d returned, and the others scooted their own chairs tighter together, to make room for hers. Once seated, she asked, “So, what is the latest news on Tony, and how long before Gibbs is likely to wake up?� She’d heard about what had happened with Gibbs earlier, when Abby, true to her promise, had called Jenny to give her an update on what was happening at the hospital.

Ducky recounted for her what Brad had told them earlier, and in exchange, Jenny brought them up to speed on what was happening with the investigation out in Calverton. No one had seemed at all concerned when they learned that White was dead, and that Garrison’s odds didn’t look good, although there was much disgruntlement over the news that Phelps and Cooper were still on the loose. They had all quieted back down when Dr. Rippenger appeared to tell Ducky that Gibbs was starting to stir, and suggested that he might want to accompany him back into the ER so that he’d be there when Gibbs woke up. Ducky muttered under his breath, “I might, and then again, I might not,� just loud enough for the people around him to hear, which elicited an understanding chuckle from them all, as he rose to comply.

The humor disappeared with Ducky, however, and the others resumed their solemn vigil, jumping slightly every time someone new entered the room, which unfortunately for them, was fairly frequent, as people were still stopping in, just to see if there was any news. It had been about twenty five minutes since Ducky had gone with the doctor, when Asst. Director Marshall appeared, with Liz at his heels. He had just gotten over to where Jenny and the others sat, and had begun to express his thanks for NCIS’s help in apprehending the kidnappers, when he was interrupted by Abby, who had just looked over his shoulder and seen Liz.

“You bitch!� Abby screeched, as she leapt from her chair, knocking it over, and lunged at the other woman. “This is all your fault!!!! If you’d been even a half-way decent partner, Tony wouldn’t be in there, fighting for his life,� she screamed, right before she slammed her fist into Liz’s nose, which immediately started to spurt blood. “You were supposed to have his back,� Abby growled.

Liz pressed one hand to her nose, and grabbed for a pigtail with her other, screaming back, “You broke my nose, you crazy bitch. You’re under arrest for assaulting a federal agent,� even as she pulled at Abby’s hair.

Abby was shrieking, “I heard you! I heard what you said to Tony,� as she was winding up for another swing, and Ziva, who was now standing beside her, said coldly to Liz, “Let go of her hair or I’ll break your hand for you, too.� McGee reached out and put a restraining hand on Ziva’s shoulder at the same time someone grabbed Abby around the waist, and lifted her up and away, just as her arm flew out, and one of her feet kicked forward.

“KNOCK IT OFF!� Gibbs’ voice cut through the caterwauling. He’d just gotten to the waiting room, having waited until he and Ducky were out of earshot of the hospital personnel to raise Holy Cain over what Ducky had allowed the doctor to do, not at all expecting to have to break up a fist fight between one of his own people and an FBI agent. “What in the HELL is going on here?!?� he demanded, as he continued to hold a squirming Abby up in the air. The room had divided into groups, the FBI people standing by Templeton, and his own people, standing firmly behind Ziva, staring at the Bureau people, daring them to do, or say, anything.

“That spoiled rotten brat punched me in the nose for no reason! I want her brought up on charges!� Liz hissed.

“No reason?!! NO REASON?!!? You call not watching out for your partner, because you think you’re better than he is, and letting him get taken by dirtbags, no reason? You’ve always had an attitude problem, Miss Uppity, thinking you know more, and are better than everyone else, and this time look at where it led!� Abby responded, just as vehemently as Liz.

“DO NOT try to put this one on me!� Liz snapped at her. Then, so angry she wasn’t thinking straight, wasn’t censoring what she said, she added, “Although it isn’t hard to think I'm better than DiNozzo. He's a poor excuse for a federal agent!� Her disparaging statement caused everyone else in the room to gasp at the insensitivity of her remarks.

Gibbs, who was shocked by what Templeton had just said, lost his grip on Abby when she screamed and tore herself out of his arms, bodily tackling Liz, knocking them both to the floor. They were rolling around on the floor, punching, scratching and kicking, scattering chairs as they knocked into them, before any of the others in the room snapped into action and tried to separate them. Gibbs reached down to grab Abby again, at the same time Morgan reached for Liz, both of them yelling at the two women, trying to get them to stop fighting. By the time Gibbs and Morgan had them somewhat under control, they both had scratches on their faces, their clothing was askew, Abby’s right eye was bruised and starting to swell shut, one of her pigtails had come undone, and Liz was clutching a hunk of Abby’s hair in her fist.

Marshall and Jenny had moved to the side, to avoid being knocked into, as they watched the scene unfold before their horrified eyes. “Agent Templeton!� Marshall barked, “that will be quite enough!� at the same time Jenny said, “Abby, stop it this instant!�

Both women were panting and glaring at each other, although they’d stopped their yelling, and Ducky, who hadn’t made it very far into the room when the fight had broken out, realized there was a crowd of hospital personnel standing behind him, watching the spectacle. “It’s all over now,� he told the medical staff. “Nothing more to see. Nerves are frayed and tempers are on edge in here, but it’s all under control now. I’ll come get someone when we’re ready to patch them up, but thank you for your concern.�

Gibbs and Morgan were both busy quietly whispering orders into the women’s ears, when Jenny cleared her throat and said to Marshall, “I’m terribly sorry about this. These last few hours have been incredibly hard on all of my people, but particularly on Ms. Sciuto, who is very close to Agent DiNozzo. I’m sure she’s very sorry for her actions.�

Gibbs put a hand over Abby’s mouth, when it looked like she was going to contradict what Jenny had just said, and Marshall responded with, “I understand. I’m sure you realize Templeton is exhausted as well, or else I’m sure she would never have said something as insensitive as she did.� Morgan didn’t cover Liz’s mouth, but he did glare at her, warning her against saying a word. “Perhaps we should just pretend this didn’t happen?� he asked Jenny, who quickly nodded her agreement. “It might be best if Agent Templeton went upstairs to pay her respects to Agent Fornell,� he added, once he and Jenny had come to an understanding.

Gibbs didn’t approve of what Abby had done, but he certainly understood it, and he was still seething over what Templeton had said about Tony. Marshall’s last remark was just the opening he’d been hoping for, and he couldn’t resist snarking, “I’m not sure I’d let Fornell see Templeton, unless you want a replay of this little scene.�

Marshall turned to look at him and demanded, “What do you mean, Agent Gibbs?�

It was all Gibbs could do to keep from smirking when he said, “I know Fornell hasn’t had a chance to report about what happened in Calverton, but you should know that Agent Templeton here, is directly responsible for getting him shot.� All of the FBI agents in the room, who had finally begun to relax, immediately drew themselves back up to full height, when he said that, ready to defend one of their own.

“That’s a serious accusation. I think you’d better explain yourself,� Marshall said, as Jenny glared at Gibbs.

Again, that was what Gibbs had been hoping for, and he proceeded to outline what had happened in the kitchen, which, although not a sign of bad behavior, certainly did not cast Liz in a good light. He then proceeded to tell them how she had been ordered to remain there, guarding the two prisoners, but had disobeyed a direct order. In direct contravention of procedure, she had entered, unannounced, the hallway where the gun fight was occurring, distracting Fornell, and causing him to look away at a critical moment. Her actions were the direct cause of why he hadn’t been able to move clear of the gun shot that ended up hitting him in the arm.

Liz started to angrily object to what he was saying, ready to defend her actions, when Marshall interrupted her, “Not a word from you Templeton. You’ve said quite enough for one day. I think it would be best if you go home now, and we’ll talk about all of this in the morning, after I’ve spoken to Agent Fornell.� Everyone in the room watched silently when Liz yanked her arm out of Morgan’s grasp, took a brief moment to straighten her clothing, dropped the hunk of Abby’s hair she held in her hand onto the floor, then spun on her heels and stalked out of the room.

Gibbs, who was still holding Abby, looked over at Ducky, who had moved to be closer to the team, and said, “Guess I really did need that sleep. Hadn’t expected to referee a fight today for Ms. Louisiana Slugger. But that doesn’t let you off the hook, Duck. We’ll be talking about this later.�

“As you wish,� Ducky said with a twinkle in his eyes, “but perhaps it could wait until after we’ve gotten these scratches on Ms. Slugger, here, cleaned up, and perhaps some ice on her eye?�

“Perhaps,� Gibbs said, mimicking Ducky’s words. “Anyone else you want to take a swing at, before Ducky patches you up?� he asked her, before he released her into Ducky’s care.

“Nah, I’m good,� Abby told him cheekily. “But I would have taken her if you hadn’t interfered!� she added, which made all of the people from NCIS laugh.

Unfortunately that was the last laugh any of them had for some time. While Ducky was cleaning up the gouges on Abby’s face, neck and arms, Brad came into the room to inform them that they were finally able to move Tony up to ICU. “It will take us about an hour to get him all hooked up. Why don’t you get a quick bite to eat, and then come on up to the waiting room there. I’ll have a nurse watch for you, and I’ll come out and see you once he’s settled in.� Looking at Gibbs he said, “I assume you’ll want to go in to see him?�

“Definitely,� Gibbs answered.

“Won’t be a problem,� Brad answered. “I’ll give you the complete run down on where we are right now, and what you can expect over the next several days before you go in.�

“Appreciate everything you’re doing,� Gibbs told Brad.

“Not a problem. I’d do it over and over again for Tony, only hope I don’t have to,� Brad told him.

Gibbs just nodded in agreement.