Chapter 2

He woke up and looked around. This wasn't where he thought he would be. It looked like a hospital. It did not look like that torture chamber he'd been in. And it didn't look like the ocean, either. ...now, why did he think he'd been on the ocean? Then, he remembered. The smugglers! He sat up quickly and started to get out of bed. He was feeling really jittery.

"Whoa, there, McGee. Stay where you are. Why are you already awake?"

Tim looked at Tony in confusion. It was like Tony had appeared out of nowhere. He forgot to try and get out of bed.

"Tony, where did you come from?"

"From right next to you, Probie. That's where. Someone's been right here the whole time."

"...why do I have this feeling that you're a bird? Why do I think you should have wings?"

"Because you're a loon, McGee. A total loon, but that's okay. We'll take it. Where were you going?"

"I need to tell Gibbs! Those guys...they were smugglers! I was checking out one of the containers and something...and..." He lost track of what he'd been saying. "...and there was something...else...and..."

"...and they found you."

"Yeah! They took me into this room and they wouldn't let me sleep!" Tim could feel his heart start pounding again. "They kept asking me questions about what was going on in the investigation and...and then..." He trailed off, unsure of what came next.

"Then, you were running from the sharks. It's okay."

Strangely enough, that sounded right. "How did you know?"

Tony smiled and gently kept Tim from getting out of bed.

"Tim, you got away from them, dove into the Potomac, almost got shot...well, you did get shot but they were only grazes, shot one of them, ran down the middle of the Parkway screaming about sharks eating you and then, dogs taking your arms...and we finally caught up when you'd been taken to the secure wing of this hospital. They were ready to put you in a straightjacket!"

Tim stopped trying to get out of bed.

"Oh. Um...Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did I think there were sharks and birds and fish...and dogs?"

"Well, because your mind is apparently a zoo, but also because you were given an overdose of caffeine which kept you from sleeping and they had you for two weeks. We'd been searching the whole area, trying figure out where you were."

"Oh." Tim thought about that. "So...I was kind of nuts, huh?"

"Yeah, a little. The Metro police didn't appreciate being called dogs, by the way."

"It wasn't personal," Tim mumbled.

This was embarrassing.

Tony laughed.

"I know. So do they."

"Did you find them?"

"No. Not yet. Anything you can tell us?"

Tim thought, but his brain felt rather sluggish...and yet racing at the same time. Weird. There had to be something...but his heart was pounding and his brain was lagging behind.

"Uh...something...must be...I..."

"It's okay, Tim. You've only been sleeping for about twelve hours. We figured you'd be out for at least a full day. Honestly, we're just glad to have you back."

"Shipment!" Tim said suddenly. He tried to get up again and Tony pushed him back once more. "There's a shipment out of Baltimore! That's how they're getting everything out!"

"Do you know when?"

"No. I have no idea, but that gives us a place to start, at least!" He tried to get up again.

"Us? You're not going anywhere, Probie. You're staying right here until all those cobwebs are cleared out."

"No. No cobwebs. I didn't see any spiders," Tim said and then flushed at Tony's all-too-understanding smile.

"You're lucky that they didn't give you much more caffeine than they did. It was bad enough when you were just high on Caf-Pows!. This was lots worse."

"But, Tony!"

"No way, man," Tony said seriously. "You don't know what it was like, looking for you and not finding you. You have no idea how relieved we were when you showed up...and how bizarre it was to see you thinking we were eagles. You're not just up and leaving the hospital ten minutes after you woke up from all that...especially when it's clear that you're not really out of all that yet."

Tim sagged back.

"Two weeks. Everything just kind of blurred together. It wasn't time. It was just...pounding."

"Well, trust me. It was two weeks and you deserve to sit around and get better from that. So stay in bed. I'm going to go and get Ducky and we'll get to Baltimore, but you will stay right here. Got it?"

Tony left the room before Tim could ask or say anything else. He tried to think back to that time when apparently everyone was manifesting themselves as various kinds of animals. He didn't really remember it. Just a flash here and there.

...but there was something else, right on the tip of his tongue, something important, and he really wanted to figure it out. He started to get up again, but the door opened again.

"Timothy?"

"Hey, Ducky," Tim said distractedly.

"You're sounding much more rational than you were, but you do need to stay in bed for now."

Tim smiled a little and let Ducky push him back down. That's what everyone kept saying to him.

"Ducky...what happened?"

"You were apparently suffering from extreme sleep deprivation, although it's unlikely you weren't sleeping at all, probably you had multiple microsleeps that lasted for a few seconds, but the caffeine you were given didn't help matters. Jethro said you were complaining of a pounding, and it was probably your heart working overtime. I understand that you put on quite the performance."

Tim flushed.

"Now, now, lad. Don't worry. Everyone knows that you weren't in control of yourself, although I'm relieved that you didn't kill yourself diving into the Potomac. You're lucky you didn't hit a rock."

Tim couldn't pull up a memory of doing that.

"I...I can't believe I really did that no matter how crazy I was."

"There's a video of it on YouTube that you can watch at your leisure."

"What?"

"There were people around, Timothy, and they watched. I believe there is some significant screaming on the part of a few onlookers. One bystander actually pulled you out of the river when you appeared to be in great distress, but your captors were right behind you at that point. As near as we can tell, they were transporting you somewhere and you jumped out of the car and then jumped into the river."

"Oh. Huh."

"You have a few stitches on your back. You got a couple of grazes from their firing at you. It was fortunate that they missed. You must have been moving quite quickly."

Tim smiled a little. "I was so...afraid...of the sharks."

"Of course."

Tim still had that thing that was so important. Something to do with sharks.

"Why sharks, though?" Tim asked. "I can't imagine why I would have thought of them as sharks, but it's right there. I can still see them in my head. Sharks were after me, Ducky and..."

"Timothy, calm down. Relax. Everything will be fine."

"But we haven't caught them yet! And there's something important I'm not remembering! Something I need to tell them, but..."

Ducky picked up Tim's arm and felt his pulse.

"Timothy, you need to relax. Your heart is beating quite fast enough as it is."

"Sharks!" Tim said suddenly. "That's it! Sharks! We were talking and Tony started saying something about loan sharks and..."

He got up again...and again, had Ducky force him to sit down again.

"Ducky! They need to know!"

"What?"

"It's really important! I need to tell them before they go to Baltimore! It's really really really important and..."

"What is it, Timothy?"

"Uh..." Tim had to stop and think again because his mind wasn't moving at the same rate as his mouth was. "...this guy we were talking about him, and Tony said he was a loan shark and he was there!"

"Timothy..."

Tim tried to stand again.

"He was right there and they kept giving me funny-tasting water and he was there asking me questions I couldn't answer and..."

"Timothy!"

Tim finally stopped.

"What?"

"You need to calm down," Ducky said very slowly. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yes."

"Calm down. Relax. You don't need to be working yourself up right now. Aren't you tired at all?"

"Uh...maybe? Should I be?"

Ducky chuckled a little.

"Tell me what they need to know and I'll pass on the message."

"No! I can't...I have to talk to Tony!"

"Very well. I'll call him, but you need to relax before your heart beats right out of your chest."

"Okay."

Ducky nodded, pulled out his phone and called. Tim fidgeted.

"Yes, Anthony, Timothy says there's something you need to know before you go to Baltimore. Yes, he's right here."

Ducky held out the phone. Tim snatched it and tried to ignore the pounding in his chest.

"Tony!"

"What is it, McGee? What's going on?"

"I remembered! That important thing! The thing you need to know that I found out when I was in the place with them. That really important thing! The part that I needed to tell you before that I just forgot about and then I remembered!"

"Timothy," Ducky warned.

Tim tried to get his mind in the same gear as his mouth.

"The loan shark!"

"What?"

"The guy! We talked to him. He worked in the...the...the resupply office! You said that he was a loan shark!"

"The guy with the weird name? Lance Corporal Lance?"

"Yes! That's him! That's who I mean! That's it!"

"What about him? I was just kidding, Probie. He's not really a loan shark. He just acted like one."

"He was there!"

"Where?"

"In the place that was...that I thought was part of the ocean...and I know it wasn't. The place where they were keeping me awake! That place! He was right there! He was the one who was giving me the funny-tasting water! Or he was there when they were giving me–"

"Lance was in on it?"

"If not, I don't know why he was there! Because he was! I saw him! Lots of times! I–"

Suddenly, the phone was plucked out of his hands.

"Anthony, is that sufficient for you?" Ducky asked. "Good. Timothy needs to rest."

"Ducky!" Tim protested. "There's more I could tell him! There's a lot more I could say!"

"Good luck," Ducky said and then hung up. "Timothy, you need to calm down and relax as I've said multiple times already. You're going to hurt yourself if you keep this up."

"But..."

"No! Lie down and rest!"

Tim let Ducky push him down. He stared up at the ceiling. There was a feeling in his chest.

"Pounding..."

"That's your heart and you need to let it slow down. It's been going fast enough already."

Tim took a deep breath and let it out. He lay there quietly for a while. The pounding lessened, and he didn't feel like he had to get all the words in the world out in two seconds.

"Sharks, dogs, birds. My mind is a weird place, Ducky."

"More than likely, but I don't think you need worry about your hallucinations."

"I've had lots of caffeine before."

"Not this much."

"There was this water that didn't taste right."

"They may have given the caffeine to you dissolved in liquid form, but they also gave you injections...at least a couple of times. They don't seem to have fed you much at all."

"I don't remember eating...but then, after a while, I don't remember much."

"Completely understandable."

Ducky let the conversation lag and silence reigned. Tim started feeling tired after a few minutes of lying quietly on the bed.

"I'm tired."

"Good. Go back to sleep, Timothy."

Tim closed his eyes.

But what about the case? What if–?

He opened his eyes and started to sit up.

"Ducky, I need to..."

Ducky patiently pushed him back down once again. "Sleep, Timothy. Just go to sleep. It all can wait until later."

"Okay."

Tim closed his eyes.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Sharks! There are sharks!" Tim said and sat up quickly, looking around the room in a panic. Heart pounding.

"Calm down, Probie!"

Tim's eyes settled on Tony again. He had appeared out of nowhere again...but this time, he wasn't alone. Ziva was sitting there as well.

"I thought I saw..." He stopped, realizing that what he thought was rather ridiculous.

"It is all right, McGee."

"Ziva...I...what... Where did you come from? Ducky was here."

"It's been a full day, Probie. You've been sleeping," Tony said with a smile. "Which is a good thing...for everyone."

Ziva smiled as well.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"Did you...find them? The sharks...no, the smugglers."

Tony's grin was much too wide.

"Please, Tony, don't make fun of me for this."

"I can't promise that, Probie. You should know that."

"Yeah, I know."

Tim leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

"Did you catch them?" he asked again.

"Yep. We got Lance...thanks to you remembering him," Tony said.

"And we found the shipment before it got too far out," Ziva said. "The Coast Guard was there to stop them."

"Good. I'm feeling a little less...freaked out than I was. Did I really sleep for a day?"

"Yes. You were completely zonked," Tony said.

"Dr. Notham said that you would be sleeping more when you were less hopped up on the caffeine," Ziva said.

"Man...caffeine," Tim said. "Too much of a good thing, I guess."

"Way too much of a good thing," Tony said.

"Yeah. Where's everyone else?"

"At work. We've been trading off to give your family a break. They've been pretty freaked out about where you were and what happened."

"Yeah...I was pretty freaked out, too, from what little I remember."

"Dr. Notham said you'd wake up when your body was ready for it."

"I guess so."

"Are you tired?"

"No. Not anymore. I feel kind of...worn out, though."

"I guess that goes along with everything you were doing. You really didn't see people?"

"Not that I remember. ...but I don't remember a lot of that. I don't remember seeing any people, though. Just...animals. Not sure why."

"No pink elephants?" Tony asked.

Tim laughed. "No. No elephants at all that I remember. Just the sharks...and dogs...and you guys were eagles."

Tony pulled out his badge.

"Golden eagles, according the cops who picked you up."

He handed it to Tim who looked at it.

"Golden eagles. My saviors. I knew the eagles could save me."

He looked up at Tony and Ziva.

"I knew I could trust you guys, even when I was out of my mind."

"Well, thanks," Tony said with a bow.

"So...how long will I be in here? Do you know?" Tim asked.

"Another day, probably," Ziva said. "They wanted to make certain that you are fully recovered."

"I could probably still sleep more," Tim said. "Even now."

"Feel free," Tony said. "You don't have to entertain us. Already did that."

Tim groaned.

"Do not let him fool you, Tim," Ziva said. "Tony was very worried all the time you were gone and he has barely left the hospital since we got here."

Tony shook his head.

"Don't read anything into that. It got me out of work."

"Thanks, Tony," Tim said. "Actually, thanks to everyone. I must have been really weird."

"Well, we didn't see you much when you were awake, but Metro will probably be talking about you for a while," Tony said. "It's a miracle you didn't get sideswiped by a car when you were running down the Parkway."

"Boats," Tim said softly. "They were boats full of screaming fish."

Tony chuckled and slugged Tim lightly on the shoulder.

"Good to have you back, McGee."

"And if you would like to sleep again, please do," Ziva said.

"Okay."

Tim closed his eyes.

"We'll keep the sharks away, Probie," Tony said.

Tim yawned.

"Thanks."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Two weeks later...

"Please, Tony. What is so important that you have to blindfold me?" Tim asked.

Tony and Abby had come to his apartment that morning and had declared that it was a surprise and he couldn't look.

"You'll see."

The car finally came to a stop, and Tim could hear a lot of people around.

"Where are we, Abby?"

"You'll see," Abby said, but there was a distinct snicker in her voice.

"Boss!"

"Oh, no. Tony what is this?" Tim asked.

"Keep walking, McGee. Trust me...or at least, trust Abby."

Tim let himself be pulled along by Tony and Abby.

After a few seconds, he stopped and he could hear lots of people around...and there was a smell in the air that was kind of familiar.

"Hey...where are we?"

"It's a special celebration in honor of your return to sanity."

"But I've been sane for days, Tony. This is nothing new!"

"Are you ready, Tim?" Ziva asked.

"Who is here besides half the world?"

"Just the important people," Abby said.

"Guess where you are, Probie."

"Where?"

"Guess!"

"You're at the zoo!"

That was not a voice he recognized. It was a child's voice.

"Chas, no! I'm sorry. Didn't mean to ruin your surprise."

"I'm at the zoo?" Tim asked.

"It's all right," Abby said. "We don't mind."

"I'm at the zoo?" Tim repeated. "Why?"

"'Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo,'" Tony sang.

Tim groaned and they finally let him take off the blindfold.

Yes. They were at the National Zoo.

"Come on, Probie! It'll be fun!"

Tim looked at Gibbs for help...and found none. He had a bunch of tickets in his hand and he raised an eyebrow.

"We've got the tickets," was all he said.

"Is this just an elaborate way of extending the teasing for my hallucinations?" Tim asked. "I have no idea why I saw the things I did. I've told you that already!"

"Actually, this is an elaborate way of saying that we're glad you're back and that you survived your experience with so little damage," Ducky said, putting a guiding arm around Tim's shoulders.

"Okay. You said it. Isn't that enough?"

"No! You've got to go see the animals. The real ones! Eagles?" Tony said.

"Tony..." Tim said weakly.

"It'll be lots of fun and I promise not to tease you...too much."

Tim sighed and then smiled.

"I guess it's all happening at the zoo," he said.

"I do believe it," Tony said back.

Tim laughed and let his friends lead him in.

It was nice to be visiting the zoo, not living in it.

...and at least there were no sharks there.

FINIS!