18

Crossing The Bridge

The tall man paced around the room with the same pent-up energy he'd had as he paced the deck when he was commanding a ship. His brown hair was greying a little at the temples, but his green eyes were as clear as they had been in his younger days. He looked out of the hotel room window for the third time and gave an exaggerated sigh into his phone. "I knew he'd do this."

"Now Drew, what did I tell you? No flying off the handle…"

"You also told me Tim had agreed to meet me for lunch, so where is he?"

"I don't know, maybe he got held up in traffic. Calm down, and have some patience…you waited seven years to speak to your son, surely you can wait a few more minutes."

"Wasn't my fault…"

"Stop! You promised me you'd start fresh…"

"Okay…I still don't see why we couldn't do this together."

"Because I'm 3,000 miles away, you asked me to come to the Chelsea Flower Show with Penny, and you're in DC with some free time on your hands."

Andrew sighed theatrically, and Theresa smiled…her husband could be cussed beyond reason at times, but she knew he'd wait for Tim, and that he'd do his best to start healing old wounds. "Have you even called him?" The long silence was eloquent. "For heavens sake…you have his number, call him. Andrew, listen to me, you have a chance to put things right between you, do not blow it…please."

"I'll give him ten minutes, then I'll call…"

Theresa knew that was as much of a concession as she was going to get. "Just take a deep breath and call, he's your only son and he loves you, don't let the years of not talking get between you."

"I'll do my best Tess."

"Good enough…Penny and I are going to a reception at the Saatchi Gallery in an hour or so, but I want to hear how it went, so doesn't matter how late it is over here. Call me."

"I'll call; enjoy your evening, both of you."

"We will…Andrew, I love you, you know that, but so help me, if you come over all Admiral McGee with Tim…"

"I'm his dad Tess, not his commanding officer."

"See you remember that later, I have to go, have a good lunch, and talk to him, tell him what you told us at the airport."

Andrew wasn't sure he was ready to open up to Tim that much, he'd told Tess and Penny how much he loved his son, and missed him but seven years of silence was a hard bridge to cross. "I'll talk, just hope he'll listen."

"I don't doubt for a minute that he will Drew, it's time to draw a line and move on, Tim made the first move, now it's up to you. I love you both and I want us to be a family again."

"That's what I want too, love you Tess, have a great evening."

"Bye Honey, relax and everything will be fine."

As Andrew put the phone back in his pocket and checked his watch again he couldn't help thinking that maybe Tess was hoping for too much from a single lunch. Maybe he'd been hoping for too much too, after all Tim hadn't even arrived on time. Andrew continued to pace around his room, taking deep breaths…keep calm, he'd promised Tess. He was about to take another look at his watch when there was a tentative knock on the door.

Andrew had never had much patience with people who kept him waiting, but keeping Tess's warning in mind he tried to control his anger. He took a moment, then pulled open the door and greeted his son face to face for the first time in seven years. "What the heck Tim, you look terrible."

"Thanks Dad…good to see you too."

Andrew ushered Tim into the room and hurried to the mini-bar for a bottle of water. Tess had shown him pictures of the slim-line version of his son and he'd been prepared to congratulate him on his efforts to stay healthy, only he looked anything but healthy right now. He had dark shadows under his eyes, his skin was pale even for Tim, and his face was pinched and drawn.

Tim shivered a little as he sat down, he was so tired...as soon as he'd proved to his dad he was really sick he was going back to his apartment and back to bed. Maybe this time the pain wouldn't be so bad and he'd be able to get some sleep.

As he took the bottle from the small refrigerator Andrew saw Tim flop down into the chair, he looked exhausted, and sick. "Tim, you should have called, there's no way you're well enough to go out to lunch."

Tim looked up at his dad and raised an eyebrow. "Come on Dad, we both know you'd have figured I was chickening out."

Andrew's protest died on his lips; he was honest enough to admit that Tim was probably right. "Maybe...here Tim, take a drink, you sound like you could use one."

Tim was incredibly thirsty, and he knew he sounded like he was talking with a mouth full of cotton balls, but his chest hurt so bad every time he swallowed…"I'm good Dad."

"No you're not." Andrew took the bottle and handed it to Tim. With a shrug Tim took the bottle and raised it to his lips, he knew this was going to hurt but he really did need water. He took a small sip and the agony hit again, he felt like a knife was stabbing deep into his chest, and the water he'd tried to drink ran down his chin…the bottle fell to the floor.

"Son? What's wrong?"

"Don't know…can't…"

Andrew knelt beside Tim, took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Tim's face. "Have you seen a doctor?"

Struggling to get his breathing back under control, Tim shook his head. "Thought…it would…stop…"

"I'm going to get you to an ER Tim. What's the nearest hospital, Washington Center?"

Tim didn't have the strength to argue, he was still trembling with the aftershocks of the pain, he simply nodded.

"Good, do you need an ambulance?"

"No…came in…cab…waiting…downstairs."

NCIS NCIS

Andrew's finger hovered over the phone menu again; he'd almost called Theresa three times, but something held him back each time. What could he tell her that wouldn't have her worried sick, thousands of miles away with no way to help her son? He couldn't tell her about the cab journey over here, how he'd cradled his son as another spasm of pain had Tim grasping at his chest and fighting for breath, or that he'd collapsed sweating and shivering in his father's arms.

The cab driver had pulled up at the ambulance entrance and called out for help; it seemed to Andrew that there was a fast moving blur of men and women in white and green, and Tim was whisked away. Since then all he'd done was wait, and watch the clock, 14.45, that would make it 19.45 in London, Theresa and Penny would still be at the gallery, he had some leeway before she'd be expecting to hear how lunch had gone.

"Mr McGee? I'm Doctor Hughton."

Andrew leapt to his feet. "How is he? Can I see him?"

"We're still running tests."

"It's been over two hours, what's taking so long?"

"Like I said, we have more tests to run; right now it's hard to pinpoint the cause of Tim's problems. I did the preliminary examination when your son was admitted; Tim was badly dehydrated, his tongue was swollen…"

"I knew he didn't sound right, what could cause that Doctor?"

"Any number of things, from internal injury to cardiac problems."

"His heart! Tim could have something wrong with his heart?"

Doctor Hughton shook his head. "No, that's one of the things we've already eliminated. No heart disease, no obstruction in his chest or abdomen, at least none that shows up on X-Rays. He was in the early stages of renal failure, caused by the dehydration, we got him on IV fluids, tried to give him some pain medication, but Tim is in so much pain when he tries to swallow…we would like to try another procedure, and that's why I wanted to talk with you."

"Procedure…what exactly do you mean?"

"Our thoracic surgeon would like to perform an endoscopy; put a tube with a camera down Tim's throat to see if there's a blockage in the oesophagus."

"But he's in so much pain already, won't that make things worse?"

"No, the procedure will be done in the OR under general anaesthesia, he won't feel a thing."

Andrew prided himself in being a good judge of character, except maybe where Tim was concerned, and Doctor Hughton seemed like a man who knew what he was doing. "If you feel it's necessary…can I see Tim before he goes to the OR?"

Doctor Hughton smiled and held the door open. "Of course, just for a few minutes, we want to get him prepped as soon as possible."

"Thank you." Andrew followed the doctor to one of the examination rooms in the ER. He faltered a little at the door. He was still adjusting to the new, slim version of his son he'd attempted to greet in his hotel room, but the way Tim looked right now…it was all wrong. Hooked up to an IV, a heart monitor beeping somewhat erratically, his face bathed in sweat and his arms clasped to his chest as he struggled with the aftermath of another wave of pain. This was way too much like walking in on Tim as he woke in traction after his car accident.

With a deep breath and a squaring of his shoulders Andrew stepped closer to his son. "Tim, how are you doing?"

"Better…I think…"

"That's good; Doc Hughton tells me you need to go to the OR." Andrew wanted to say so much, things he should have told Tim so many years ago, to take back the terrible things he'd said. Andrew felt a hand on his arm.

"Excuse me sir; I need to get Tim upstairs."

"Yes…yes, I'll get out of your way."

"Wait…Dad…" Tim waved one hand vaguely toward the corner of the room. "Jacket pocket…phone…"

"You want me to call someone?"

"Please…Gibbs…tell him, don't think I'll…be…work tomo…" Tim broke off as the overwhelming need to swallow caused another vice-like pain to grip his chest.

"Tim! Hold on son, the docs will find out what's wrong. I'll be here when you wake up. You're going to be okay." Andrew gripped Tim's shoulder briefly, then stepped aside as Tim was wheeled out of sight. A young nurse was watching him with sympathetic eyes.

"I can direct you to the surgical floor waiting area if you would like sir."

Andrew smiled. "Thank you, could I…Tim wanted me to get his cell."

"So long as you sign for your son's personal effects, I can put them in a bag for you."

NCIS NCIS

Andrew was sitting in another waiting room holding another phone, only this time there was no hesitation; he opened the menu on Tim's phone and selected a name, the call was answered after just one ring.

"Hey McGee, how was lunch?"

"Agent Gibbs this is Andrew McGee, Tim's dad."

"Admiral…is something wrong?"

"Tim asked me to call, he...he's in the hospital, they're running tests."

"What happened?"

There was a brief silence. "I don't know…he came to the hotel and, I thought he was having a heart attack…I feel so useless Agent Gibbs; he's my son, I should be helping him, and there's nothing I can do."

"Being there is something; Admiral, the tests…his heart?"

"That's fine, no cardiac problems the doctor said…they've taken him to the OR…going to put a camera down his throat…"

Gibbs figured Andrew McGee wouldn't ask, so he made the offer himself. "Could you use some company? I can bring good coffee, not hospital vending machine crap."

Andrew chuckled softly; trust a Marine to focus on coffee. "Sounds good Agent Gibbs, on both counts."

NCIS NCIS

Andrew had been staring at his phone for twenty minutes when he heard the door open; he didn't lift his gaze from the phone, the waiting room was pretty full, there were plenty of comings and goings and it was too early for news on Tim.

"Admiral?"

He did look up then and smiled briefly when he saw a grey-haired man holding two cups of coffee. "Agent Gibbs, coffee smells good, and I'm not an Admiral here, just Tim's dad." He stood up and held out his hand. "Andrew McGee."

Gibbs put the cups down on a small table and shook Andrew's hand. "Jethro. Any news?"

"No, not expecting to hear anything for a couple of hours. I should call his mom only, what do I tell her? She's waiting to hear how lunch went…"

They sat down and Gibbs handed a cup to Andrew, he glanced at his watch. "They're five hours ahead of us; if you don't call soon she's likely to be calling you."

Andrew nodded, he'd been thinking along the same lines, but it was tough to overcome his reluctance to tell her Tim was in the hospital. "I'll drink my coffee, and then I'll call."

They sat in silence as they emptied their cups, Gibbs wasn't much for talking and if Tim's dad needed quiet that was okay by him.

"That was good Jethro, thank you. Too much noise in here, I think I'll go outside to call Theresa."

"You do that Adm…Andrew, I'll come find you if there's any news."

Andrew gave a half-hearted smile and headed out of the waiting room; it was Gibbs' turn to look at his phone. Should he call Ducky or Abby? No…not until he knew what the heck was going on with Tim.

NCIS NCIS

"I have to call again when we know what's wrong; whatever the hour. Tess says neither of them will be getting any sleep." Andrew slumped down onto the hard plastic chair.

"Tough call?"

"You have no idea. Tess…and my mom, they've been telling me for years to call Tim, talk with him…tell him…but no, not me…too damned stubborn to pick up a phone."

"Wasn't all on one side Andrew; Tim, he didn't call you."

"You don't understand, it was my place to call!" Andrew looked a little shamefaced as several heads turned toward him. "Problem is…" Gibbs had to lean closer as Andrew's voice dropped to a whisper. "I was to blame…he reached out to me when he was as low as he could go and I…I called him a coward."

Gibbs knew how easy it was to cause a family rift with bitter words, but to call Tim a coward…what had he done to deserve that? Andrew looked lost, and that was another feeling Gibbs knew well. "He's going to be fine Andrew, soon as they figure out what's wrong with him; you'll be able to talk."

"If he still wants to…I screwed up so bad…"

"It can be fixed. Believe me, I…for years I didn't talk to my dad…he did something I thought was unforgivable…it was a bad time, I said things. We were estranged for a long time but now, things are good between us, just like they will be between you and Tim."

Andrew sighed deeply. "Wish I could be sure…Jethro, I know the coffee's probably pretty bad, but can I buy you a drink in the cafeteria?"

Gibbs sensed that Andrew wanted to talk more about the rift with his son, and that he needed some time to get his thoughts together, the walk to the cafeteria should fit the bill.

NCIS NCIS

"I've had worse." Andrew's grimace as he took a first taste of the cafeteria coffee almost gave the lie to his statement.

"Not many I'd bet."

"You'd be right…you and your dad, you said it had been years…"

"Yeah, I was hurting and he did something…looking back now, it was thoughtless at best…or worst, but I saw red, turned my back on pretty much the only family I had left."

"Do you regret not healing things sooner?"

Gibbs didn't answer immediately and Andrew was sure he'd said the wrong thing. "Sorry, it's not my place to ask, your family, your business."

"I didn't have to mention it, just figured you'd know I understand; the whole family thing, it's hard."

"Amen to that, especially in the military; I missed so much of Tim growing up. Then when I was home I either treated him like one of my subordinates or tried to show him I loved him by giving him extravagant treats…"

"Like the Olympic Games?"

"He told you about that?"

"Oh yeah…Bill Suitor flying overhead."

Andrew smiled, a smile of real warmth that took years off him. "Tim was crazy into jet packs for years after that…"

"Still is."

The smile faded. "Really? See, I didn't even know…what kind of father does that make me?"

"Not a bad one; you haven't talked with Tim…Andrew, what you said to Tim…"

Andrew gave up all pretence of drinking his coffee, leaned his elbows on the table and put his head in his hands. "It was…seven years, how could I let so much time go by without telling him…he's my son and I turned my back on him…He called home, nothing out of the ordinary, we used to talk most days even if only for a minute. But this night…it was the end of a tough week…"

Andrew lifted his head and sighed. "No excuse…but I was waiting for the results of a service review, they were looking to reduce the number of rear-admirals…instead of the promotion I'd hoped for I was half-expecting to be kicked out of the service, or demotion. I was on a knife edge…feeling like my life had been a waste, I'd given everything to the Navy and I was about to be discarded like yesterday's newspaper. I was like a bear with a sore behind; Tess couldn't stand my mood any longer and she went out for a drink with friends….I'd been stewing on my own for about an hour when the phone rang."

"Tim?"

Andrew nodded slowly. "He…he sounded like he'd been crying, said he'd killed a cop, that he'd let you down, didn't have your back…"

Gibbs' mind was working overtime; seven years since Tim had spoken with his dad, Tim killing….it had to be. "Lieutenant Benedict?''

"That was his name? You know, I don't think I ever gave Tim chance to tell me. I lost it, let him have it with both barrels, told him it was his own fault for choosing law enforcement over the Navy, that he'd wasted his life, hadn't made best use of his talents. He could have had a good career in the Navy."

"Become a third generation Admiral?"

"You want me to lie and say I'd never thought about Tim following in my footsteps, like I followed my dad?"

Gibbs took a few deep breaths. He'd been about to berate Andrew McGee for showing such a lack of understanding of his own son, but looking back, Gibbs remembered he hadn't exactly covered himself in glory in his own dealings with Tim after the Benedict shooting. "We all made mistakes back then, Tim was still pretty green, but he deserved better than he got from me."

"He said you told him you'd have his badge if he screwed up again."

Gibbs winced as he replayed the scene outside Archer's house. "I was mad…stupid, if I'd stopped for just one second to think…"

"Don't beat yourself up Jethro; you didn't say anything that I didn't top. You didn't say that he was a worthless lump who was only good for sitting in front of a computer, you didn't tell him you were glad he never joined the Navy because you didn't want the McGee family name disgraced by being associated with a snivelling coward…"

Knowing how much Tim's family meant to him Gibbs knew hearing that from his dad, at a time when he was at just about his lowest ebb would have been like a knife in his gut. Andrew scraped his hand through his hair and looked up at Gibbs.

"I waited for him to say something, to tell me I was wrong…I figured it would prove to me he had a backbone if he just answered me back…he…he said, if that's what you think of me, I guess there's nothing left to say. He disconnected the call, and we didn't speak again until he called me after Penny got involved in one of your cases." Andrew cast a baleful glance in Gibbs' direction. "Okay Jethro, let it rip, tell me I'm a dumb SOB who treated his own son like dirt.'

Gibbs shrugged and pushed his coffee cup to one side. "Seems to me I'd be telling you something you already know. Andrew, why didn't you call him back, after you'd had time to think?"

"I almost did, was about to dial his number when I got another call; the review…I wasn't losing my rank, but one of my closest friends was…I called him, we talked for a long time. When we were done I was still thinking of calling Tim, but then I decided, and I know it was a dumb decision…I told myself it was Tim's place to call, he put the phone down on me, so he should make the first move... Short answer, I'm stubborn, like my dad before me; once he'd made up his mind over something it was pretty much made and you couldn't change the course he'd chosen."

Thinking of Tim's behaviour each time a member of his family had become involved in an active NCIS case Gibbs couldn't help but smile. "Guess Tim's more of a McGee than you gave him credit for, I've seen him be pretty damned stubborn when he wants to be. Truth is Andrew, Tim brings nothing but honour to the McGee name, he fights with everything he has to protect his family."

"So I've heard from the McGee women."

"Yeah, I bet you have."

Andrew smiled a little, and then took another deep breath. "Jethro, can I ask, why did you choose Tim for your team? As Lead Agent on the MCRT you must have had people practically falling over themselves to be on your team."

"I did, damn fine agents they were too, but they all lacked something…something I saw in Tim's eyes the very first case he worked with us. He wouldn't back down…"

"Oh, I know that look; it's the one he gave me when he told me he wasn't going to join the Navy."

"Guess once his mind is made up…"

"You're right, seems he's a McGee through and through and I wouldn't see it…spent so much time trying to mould him into the man I wanted him to be, the sailor I wanted…I never stopped to look at who he really is."

"He's a son to be proud of Andrew."

"That he is…so why do I always find it so hard to tell him? All I ever did was make him feel like he wasn't good enough; figured if I rode him hard enough he'd do as I wanted just to shut me up. You can see how well that worked out…he closed himself off from me, oh sure, we talked, but it was never about anything that really mattered, I never even knew about the bullying until he left high school."

"Yeah, he's good at keeping things to himself."

"Learned the hard way I guess…I was always in such a rush, determined to become an Admiral before I was forty; the only thing I wanted more than that was for my son to follow the family tradition. When he told us he wanted to go to MIT I was happy…he was only sixteen, even after he graduated there was still plenty of time for him to join the Navy."

Andrew lapsed into silence again and checked his watch. "Hospitals…why does time always go so slow in these places? It was the same after Tim's accident, I was home for once when we got the call…seemed like an eternity waiting in the ER…Tess, she held on to my hand like she thought I was going to leave her alone…I wouldn't have left, she needed me, Tim needed me, and for once in my life I was there for my family."

"You must have been relieved he wasn't badly hurt."

"He was hurt bad enough Jethro, and you know the worst thing? When I saw him in traction, so help me, I was worried his injuries might leave him unable to pass a Navy physical. Can you believe it? From frantic father to Navy recruiter in no time flat."

"When did you finally realise Tim wasn't going to join?"

"Not until Tess threatened to leave me if I didn't go to his FLETC graduation. I kept thinking, let him complete his education, once he's got that out of his system he'll see sense; but some time while he was at college he'd made up his mind…law enforcement. When he told us he was going to apply to NCIS I thought he was trying to rub my nose in it…Admiral's son a Navy grunt cop…"

"He's a lot more than that, we do good work at NCIS, and Tim is one of our best."

"I know you do good work Jethro, great work...Figures Tim's doing well…if he sets his mind to something." Andrew stretched his hands above his head. "We should be getting back."

"Sure. Andrew, you can tell me to take my nose out of your business but I have to ask. Penny, she seems like a strong woman, if she thought you were wrong not to call Tim, didn't she tell you?"

Andrew put the barely touched coffee cups in the trash and they headed out of the cafeteria. "Loud and long, Tess and Sarah too, but I dug in my heels, waited for him to call, and then…then life got in the way. An overseas posting, endless meetings, hearings, reviews…it never ends; Tess tried to get us together over Thanksgiving or Christmas, but one of us was always working. You know how it is…"

"Sure do; it took a murder for me to get back with my dad."

Andrew slowed his pace as they got closer to the waiting room. "He has to be okay Jethro, I…we need to talk." There was a faint tremor in his voice, Gibbs held the door open and waited for Andrew to go inside and take a seat.

"Come on Andrew, hold it together a little longer; the doctor will be here soon. Tim's going to be okay, they'll find out what's wrong and put it right."

"I hope to God you're right…when I opened the door, back at the hotel…typical me, I was ready to tear him a new one because he was late, and then I saw him…"

The waiting room door opened again and this time Andrew looked up immediately.

"Mr McGee, Tim's in recovery now."

Andrew leapt from his chair. "Is he okay? Did you find out what's wrong?"

Doctor Hughton smiled. "He's fine; he was asking if you're still here."

Andrew took a step back; did Tim seriously think he'd have left him alone? Then again, given his track record in dealing with his son, maybe it wasn't so surprising after all. "Can I see him now?"

"Sure, follow me."

"I'd like Agent Gibbs to come too if that's okay."

"Family only right now, we have some questions about Tim's recent medical history."

"Agent Gibbs…Jethro, is likely to know more about Tim's medical history than I do, Tim and I…we haven't spoken in a while…"

"Ah, I see, then please come with me, both of you. We have the pictures from the endoscopy and they've given us the end result of Tim's problem, but not the cause. Doctor Sanghera is with him, she's one of the top people in our thoracic department."

The doctor pushed open the door and beckoned the two men inside. There were six beds with busy nursing staff monitoring the patients, and at Tim's bedside a petite doctor was studying a monitor and talking quietly with him. Gibbs walked slowly toward the bed; how had he gotten so sick since Friday evening? Andrew was two paces ahead of him, and any lingering doubts Gibbs might have had concerning Andrew's feelings about his son were dispelled by the look of pure anguish on the Admiral's face as he stood beside Tim's bed.

"Hey Dad…guess lunch is a bust…"

"There'll be other lunches Tim, you have to get better, that's all I want, okay?"

Tim nodded and spotted Gibbs. "Boss…what? Oh…Dad called…I ruined your…Sunday."

"The book I was reading wasn't that good Tim, whoa…steady."

Tim was gasping for breath, his face contorted in a mask of pain, his hands clutching his chest. Andrew tore his gaze away from Tim to plead with the doctors.

"Can't you give him something for the pain?"

"Not until we know exactly what is wrong. I am Anita Sanghera, you must be Tim's father."

"Yes, Andrew McGee…please can you help him?"

"Most certainly, let me show you what we have so far." She pointed to the monitor. "These are the pictures we got from the endoscopy. If you look…see, just here, the oesophagus has a lesion, it's like an internal burn and is the reason Tim is in so much pain every time he swallows."

"Burn…how?"

"That's what we have to find out." Doctor Hughton picked up Tim's chart. "We asked Tim, but he's still a little groggy from the anaesthesia, Agent Gibbs, has he been sick recently?"

"Sick? No…we've been snowed under with cases but…" Gibbs played back the last few days in his mind. Tim had kept up with the others, he'd looked beat at times, but so had Tony and Ziva; there had been nothing to indicate he hadn't fully recovered from…"Wait, there was something, you remember Tim? The chest infection, you took a sick day, only that was two weeks ago."

Doctor Sanghera turned to Tim. 'Were you prescribed antibiotics?"

"Yes."

"Can you remember what they were?"

"Sure…doxycycline."

"Good, Tim, think back, this is very important. Did you take any of the tablets without water?"

Tim's brow furrowed as his exhausted mind tried to remember.

"He did…we were going to interview Ercoli, in the car, I saw you take a pill."

"You're right Boss. I'd left my bottle of water in the squad room…but it was time for the pill."

Doctor Sanghera gave a brief nod. "Good, and every other time you took a drink with your pill?"

"I think so…no…there was one night…I was so tired…already in bed, the pills were on the nightstand, couldn't be bothered getting up for water, so I just swallowed it dry."

Tim started to tense up as he felt the need to swallow…he didn't want to cry in front of his dad, or Gibbs, but the pain was so bad.

"Tim, try to relax." Doctor Sanghera laid her hand lightly on Tim's arm. "We can get you some pain relief right away. Doctor Hughton will get that for you."

"What…what's wrong?"

"You have pill-induced oesophagitis; one of the antibiotics you took lodged in your oesophagus right about here." She indicated a spot on Tim's chest. "There are no pain nerves in that part of the oesophagus, and over time the pill dissolved and burned right though to the muscle."

"My own…fault…all this…"

"Calm down son, you'll just make it worse."

"But Dad, you heard her…"

Andrew gripped Tim's hand. "I did, I also heard Jethro say you were snowed under, exhausted…Tim, don't beat yourself up over this, let the doctors give you some pain relief; get some rest and we'll talk tomorrow, if I survive my next task. I have to call your mom, and I'm guessing your grandmother will have a few words to say."

"Ouch!"

"You got that right. Looks like the doc wants us out of the way; you do what they say, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Dad…thanks for…today, staying with me…calling Gibbs."

"I should be thanking you Tim, for giving a stubborn old goat a second chance."

Tim gave a tired smile. "Should have done it…years ago. Boss…don't know when I'll be back at work."

"Not important Tim, you do as your dad says and get some rest; once Abby knows you're in the hospital…"

Tim's smile got a little wider. "Guess I'll be needing a good night's sleep."

"Good guess, I'll call by again tomorrow." Gibbs turned to leave and felt a hand on his arm.

"I'll walk out with you Jethro. Tim, I…I don't say it…I should…you never know when it'll be too late…you do know I love you…"

"I love you too Dad, always have...now get out of here before they throw you out."

Andrew grinned and gave Tim a quick hug before he finally turned to leave the room. "See you tomorrow Son."

Tim waved his arm weakly and relaxed back onto his pillows as Doctor Hughton injected new medication into his IV. Soon, real soon he'd get relief from the pain and he could sleep.

NCIS NCIS

"McGee! It is good to see you; Abby said you were going out to lunch today."

"Good to be here Ziva, just wish I was back at work."

"I have work you can do Tim, no effort required, all you have to do is sit at a computer."

"Maybe after lunch Tony, Abby won't be too happy if I miss a meal. She's been watching me like a hawk."

Tony got up from his chair and put his arm around Tim's shoulder. "You can tell me Tim, mano a mano, what else is Abby doing for you?"

"Excuse me?"

"The lovely Ms Sciuto, she must be doing more than watching what you eat."

Ziva gave Tony a gentle shove. "What Abby and McGee do on their own time is no concern of ours."

"Come on Ziva! Don't tell me you're not curious."

"You are not curious Tony, you are nosy!"

Tim shook his head and smiled; he'd missed this, the gentle bickering that was an integral part of his day to day life.

"Hey Tim, you'd best not be keeping Abby waiting."

"I'm good Boss. She won't be looking for me for another five minutes."

Gibbs settled at his desk and looked Tim up and down. He was still way too thin, but he looked a heck of a lot better that he had in the hospital four weeks ago, and a week in the San Diego sun had given his skin a healthy glow.

"You have a good visit with your mom and dad?"

"I did, we talked, all of us, for the first time in a long time, it was…real good, I'd missed my family."

"You have your family back together Tim, don't let it slip away again."

"I won't Boss, and I want to thank you; Dad tells me you and he had a long talk...I think it helped."

"Didn't do anything but listen."

"Ya think?"

"I know…you clear the air with your dad?"

"We…there was a lot of talking, some things we're never going to agree on…but we reached an understanding, a good one I think."

"Timmy! You were supposed to come down to the lab the minute you got here." Abby tried to maintain a stern demeanour, but it was no good, she was so happy to have Tim back, she couldn't help smiling.

"I'd have been there sooner but Tony kept me talking."

"Me! That's low Tim, I even got you a Nutter Butter and that's how you repay me."

Tim was laughing as the full force of an Abby hug almost knocked the breath out of him.

"Watch out there Abs, don't bruise him, Tim's going to help me catch up on my paperwork later."

Gibbs looked up quizzically at Tim. "You agreed to this?"

"It's just sitting at my desk typing Boss."

Gibbs picked up the two folders on his desk and looked underneath. "I don't see your fitness evaluation Tim; have you been approved for desk duty?"

"Not exactly, but my physical therapist says I should be good to come back next week."

"That's good news Tim, and I look forward to seeing you back here next week."

"Please Boss, I'm going stir crazy. I've put back almost all the weight I lost."

"Is that so Tim?" Gibbs stood up and gave Tim one of his patent stares. "How much weight have you gained."

Tim looked down at the floor, why had he thought he could fool Gibbs? "Eight pounds."

"Good work Tim, and how much did you lose when you couldn't eat solid food?"

"Fifteen."

"Didn't hear you."

"Fifteen Boss…but I'm feeling much stronger."

"I know, but you have to take things slow. I let you come back to work too soon after you had that chest infection; that didn't turn out so well."

"Wasn't your fault, I should have followed the instructions on the antibiotics."

"Maybe so; it was bad luck the pill lodged where it did. But you had some good luck too, from what Ducky told us, if you hadn't gone to the hospital when you did…"

"I had more good luck that day; if I hadn't been sick…lunch could have gone either way and maybe Dad and me…well maybe things wouldn't have turned out the way they did."

"I am sure I speak for all of us when I say I am delighted that things worked out, even though I would have preferred that you did not have to go through such pain…" Ziva kissed Tim lightly on the cheek. "It is good to see you looking so much better, now you should go, Abby has a new diner for you to try I believe."

Abby linked her arm through Tim's and steered him toward the elevator. "It's a cool place Tim, and there's not a smoothie or liquid meal to be seen."

"Hallelujah! Lead me to it Abs." Tim turned to wave to his team mates. "Don't forget I'm taking you out to dinner Friday, remind Ducky and Jimmy too."

"Hey Tim, are drinks included?'

Tim was grinning as Gibbs hand made the anticipated contact with the back of Tony's head. It would be so good to spend time with everyone on Friday; a small token of thanks for all the support the team had given him during his illness and recovery. It would be better still when he was finally back at work. But he had to admit, after spending time with his family, making peace with his dad, and with Abby by his side, things were already looking pretty good.

THE END