Chapter 2

It was another four hours before the doctor returned to inform the agents that Gibbs had been moved to the ICU and that he was doing as well as could be expected, given the circumstances. Tony and Tim tried to convince the doctor to allow them to see their boss but he refused.

"It's almost midnight and you both look dead on your feet. Even if it wasn't hospital policy, you need the rest," he said, giving Tim a pointed look.

"But—"

"Agent Gibbs is unlikely to wake up until tomorrow at the earliest. Please, take my word for it: the situation will be better for all of you if you two just go home."

"You'll call if—"

"—anything changes, yes. Now go."

Reluctantly the two agents left and when they reached the parking lot, Tony turned to Tim.

"You gonna be OK?"

"I should get back to the Yard. I still have to finish my report, and—"

"I think the report can wait. That doctor was right, you do look dead on your feet. Go get some sleep, Tim. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

Tim nodded. "Goodnight, Tony."

Tony just waved and headed for his car, and Tim went to find the agency sedan that he had driven. Once inside, he drove it back to the Yard and retrieved his own car before heading home.

After completing his nightly routine, Tim crawled into bed and tried to sleep, but the events of the day kept playing through his mind and he couldn't relax. The same questions he had asked himself earlier resurfaced, still mostly without answers, and no matter how hard he tried to push them from his mind, he couldn't. Finally, after tossing and turning for what seemed like hours, he gave up on trying to sleep and got ready for work instead.

The night guard gave him a curious look as he passed through security but Tim offered no explanation for his early arrival. Once he reached his desk, he immediately brought up the case file and started typing his report. With the incident all too clear in his mind, it didn't take him long to complete the narrative, but he checked it over twice to make sure it was as it should be before he sent it to the printer. He leaned back in his chair and sighed, closing his eyes to relieve some of the strain that had built up from staring at his computer screen for hours, but everything that had happened finally caught up with him and soon he was fast asleep.

The sound of a throat being cleared jerked Tim from his slumber and he immediately sat up, blinking. When his vision cleared he saw Vance standing in front of his desk, staring down at him with a distinct lack of amusement, and Tim felt his cheeks start to burn as he stammered out an apology.

"S-sorry, Director. I was just—"

"What are you doing here, Agent McGee?"

"I was just…finishing my report." He checked his watch and groaned. It was well past the beginning of the work day. "I'm sorry, Sir. I meant to just close my eyes for a minute, and-"

"Your team has been taken off the duty roster for the rest of the week. You don't need to be here, Agent McGee. Go home, get some sleep. Real sleep."

"What about our case? Or the attack on Gibbs?"

"The FBI is closing out the case, since it was mainly their responsibility in the first place. As for the attack on Agent Gibbs, the perpetrator is dead. You will need to go through the normal evaluations when you return to work on Monday, but otherwise that case has been handled as well. Go home, Agent McGee."

"Yes, sir."

Tim grabbed his backpack from underneath his desk and stood as he fought to control the worry he felt. Was this dismissal just the beginning? Despite his efforts, Vance seemed to notice his discomfort.

"Agent McGee."

"Sir?"

Vance lowered his voice. "You are not in trouble, and you are not being punished. You did exactly what you were supposed to do in a difficult situation."

"Not sure everyone will see it that way," he muttered.

"If they don't they can come see me. I'll set them straight."

"Yes, sir."

Much to Tim's surprise, Vance patted him on the shoulder and gave him a rare smile before heading for the stairs to the catwalk. Tim took one last look around, thankful that no one seemed to be paying attention, and headed for the elevator.

Once he had returned home, Tim tried to get back to sleep but nothing seemed to work. Finally he decided to go to the hospital to check on Gibbs. When he arrived, the doctor reminded him that the twenty-four hours had not yet passed, and that Gibbs was probably not going to wake up any time soon, but Tim insisted and after assuring the staff that he would not interfere with their work in any way, they allowed him to visit his boss.

Tim tried to prepare himself, aware of how bad it was likely to be based on what he had seen after Gibbs had been hit, but he was still not ready for what he saw when he walked into the ICU and he barely managed to maintain his composure. He barely recognized the lead agent amongst the tubes, wires, and metal devices protruding from his limbs. Tim remembered his own time in traction after his accident, but it hadn't been anywhere near as bad as this.

After he recovered from his initial shock, Tim stepped closer and looked down at Gibbs' face. What struck him about the man's appearance was that he looked…fragile. He had seen Gibbs battered and bruised before, but the man had still maintained his aura of indestructibility. That illusion had been completely broken, and Tim felt sick to his stomach as the doctor's words came back to haunt him: Six to eight months of recovery, perhaps has much as a year. Tim could see why they had been given such an estimate. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't sure, seeing Gibbs as he was now, that he would ever be the same.

One of the nurses brought a chair for him and placed it next to Gibbs' bed. After she left, he sank on the hard seat, grimacing slightly with discomfort, and turned to watch Gibbs, waiting for him to wake. Despite the uncomfortable position, he drifted off and was eventually awoken by a low groan. Tim immediately returned his attention to the man on the bed and he saw Gibbs' eyes slowly open.

"Boss?"

Gibbs' gaze slowly turned to focus on the man leaning over him and at last he spoke in a raspy voice.

"McGee?"

Tim felt a surge of relief. "Yeah, Boss, it's me. How are you feeling?"

Gibbs seemed to ponder the question before finally responding. "Like I got hit by a truck."

Tim barely managed not to let out a laugh as his relief grew. Maybe Gibbs wasn't as bad off as he had thought.

"What happened?" Gibbs asked, his voice only slightly stronger.

"You, uh, got hit by a truck, Boss."

The glare lacked its normal strength, but the look Tim received was pure Gibbs. "Why?"

Tim quickly explained what he knew and Gibbs gaze flickered.

"Damn…"

"You don't have to worry about him anymore, Boss."

"Dead?"

"Yeah…"

"You?"

"Yeah."

Gibbs studied Tim for a few moments. "Not your fault, Tim."

"I know, but… Sorry."

"Never apologize."

"I know that, too."

Gibbs' eyes closed and Tim thought he had gone back to sleep, but soon he spoke again.

"Our case? Did they get Morris?"

"He showed at the other surveillance point. Tony and Ziva took him down, and the FBI is handling the paperwork."

"Good." Gibbs opened his eyes and looked at Tim. "Everyone OK?"

"Fine…well, except you, Boss, but the doctors say you'll be OK, too."

"How long?"

Tim shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't sure he should be the one to tell Gibbs what he was facing. As if on cue, the doctor walked in and smiled when he saw his patient.

"Agent Gibbs, I'm glad to see you awake. I'm Dr. Mason. How are you feeling?"

Gibbs sent Tim a look and he bit his lip to keep from responding as Gibbs returned his attention to the doctor.

"How soon can I get out of here?"

Dr. Mason chuckled. "I see your reputation is well earned. I'm afraid it won't be that simple." The doctor went on to explain Gibbs' injuries and prognosis. When he had finished, Tim felt his heart sink as he took in Gibbs expression. For once, the lead agent looked defeated.

"Six months?"

"At the minimum. I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, but you cannot rush these things. If any of you injuries are not allowed the time to heal properly, you could face permanent disability. It's simply not worth it. Agreed?"

"Yeah…agreed."

"Good. Now, how is the pain?"

"I'll live."

"That's not what I asked. On a scale of one to ten?"

"Three."

The doctor nodded knowingly. "We'll get you started on a morphine pump in case it gets worse. In the meantime, try to get some rest."

"Not likely," muttered Gibbs as the doctor left and turned to Tim. "Guess I won't be back at work for awhile."

"Sorry, Boss."

"Told you before, Tim, it's not your fault. You OK with DiNozzo as lead again?"

"He did fine before…and things are a little different now."

"Yeah. I don't need to tell you you're a good agent, McGee. I think you know that now."

Tim blushed slight and lowered his gaze. "Most of the time."

"McGee." Tim looked up. "Not. Your. Fault." Tim sighed.

"I know, Boss. I…I better call Tony. He'll want to know that you're awake. Everyone will."

"Yeah, I guess they will. Better tell Abby 'no hugs', though. Might be difficult with all this stuff stuck in me."

Tim managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I guess it would. You should, uh, try to get some rest. I'll be back later."

"McGee?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Thanks."

Tim just nodded as he left the ICU and headed for the exit.

XXX

Gibbs was moved to a regular room the following day, and for the next few days after, the rest of the team spent as much time with him as they could. Tony and Ziva were there almost constantly, while Abby, Ducky, and Jimmy managed to stop by after work. Tim was there, too, but he remained in the background, silently watching the others interacting with Gibbs and wondering what lay in store for all of them when they would return to work on Monday. Tim did talk to Gibbs on the rare occasions when they were alone but he didn't feel comfortable doing so when the others were present. Abby had already made some accusatory comments, and even though both Tony and Gibbs had chastised her for them—lightly, of course—Tim didn't want to cause any more friction by drawing attention to himself.

Tim arrived early on Monday to meet with the agency shrink, standard protocol after a shooting incident, and it went better than he expected. He returned to his desk, only to notice a distinct feeling of tension among his teammates.

"What's going on?"

"Just waiting for you to get here. Vance wants to see us in his office."

"Did he say why?"

"Something to do with our assignments while Gibbs is out on medical leave," Ziva replied.

Tim groaned. He still vividly remembered the last time they had been called to Vance's office regarding "assignments" and the old fear of the team being split up resurfaced.

"It's probably just about the TA we're going to be assigned for a few months. No big deal, right?"

"If it was that, why wouldn't he just tell us?" Tony asked. "This is bad. I can feel it in my gut."

"We have given Vance no reason to split us up," argued Ziva. "We work well as a team. Perhaps he just wants to tell us that."

"Since when are you Miss Pollyanna? Nothing good comes from visits to the director's office, trust me on this one."

"That was only because you were working alone, Tony. As a team, we are safe."

"Let's hope so. C'mon, McGee. Let's get this over with."

Tim nodded and followed his teammates up the stairs. When the three of them reached the director's office they were immediately ushered inside and they walked over to stand in front of Vance's desk, shoulder to shoulder, as a team. Vance watched them with a bemused expression and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Agents. First let me offer my condolences. It's always difficult when someone important to us is injured, especially to the extent that Agent Gibbs was affected. Even though he will not be back with us for quite some time, I expect you to maintain the level of excellence you have demonstrated under his tutelage, and I have every confidence you will do so. However, this incident has left us with a unique situation, and I feel it is necessary to find a working model that will help us improve our agency in the long run. Don't you agree?"

"With all due respect, Director, we three are perfectly capable of working as a team and providing the agency with the level of service they have come to expect from the MCRT."

"I don't doubt that, Agent DiNozzo. I do, however, believe that this would be the opportune time for you to share those skills with others. I will be assigning two probationary agents to your team, and I expect these agents to receive training to help them reach the expected level of competency for other MCRTs, which they will be joining once Agent Gibbs returns to work full time. Training, Agents DiNozzo and David, not hazing. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Director."

"Good. These agents will be arriving next week. I expect you to prepare the necessary materials for their arrival and subsequent training. Are there any questions?"

"Just one, Director: where is the extra agent going to sit? There are only four desks in our section."

Vance glanced at Tim and he felt his heart sink. He should have known this was going to happen. He glanced at Tony and Ziva and saw worry in their expressions, lending even more credence to his fears.

"We will work it out. Agents DiNizzo and David, you are dismissed."

"But what about-?"

"I need to speak to Agent McGee in private."

"Sir, if you—"

"What part of that was unclear, Agent DiNozzo?"

Tony looked as if he was ready to protest again but Tim caught his eye and shook his head. It wasn't worth irritating Vance any further. Finally Tony nodded in return and left with Ziva at his heels. Tim took a deep breath and returned his full attention to the director.

"Agent McGee, I understand your team's desire to remain together, but unfortunately there is a situation which requires your talents and it takes precedence over your team. I do want to make it clear that this is not a punishment, but rather an opportunity to put your skills to work where they are most needed."

"Cybercrimes," Tim said, almost to himself.

"Actually, no. Your new assignment will not be in the Navy Yard."

Tim's eyes widened. "Where?"

"I'm afraid that's classified," a voice replied from behind and Tim turned to find the speaker standing just a few feet away. "But don't worry, you'll be read in soon enough. Both of you."

It took Tim only a moment to recognize the man in front of him and when he did, his heart sank. This was worse than he expected.

TBC…