A/N: VERY IMPORTANT WORD OF WARNING

This chapter begins the discussion of the subject of Life Support and the argument of whether or not to keep someone alive indefinately on the artificial means. The story continues on with that theme from here.

I mean no disrespect towards anyone who has ever had to suffer through something like that with a loved one.
My sympathies for your heartache.

I apologise for not including this warning from the begininning - I did not want to take away from the story itself.

This is just a fictional story - that happens to revolve around that - no offense is meant.
I'm seriously hoping no offense is taken.

Having said that - hopefully - you'll still want to continue reading .

The afternoon passed with monotony that nearly drove them all crazy; all but Tim, that is. He alone, seemed focused in his world of cyber searches as was typical for him. It was clear that he was entrenched in that world for now, so for once Tony left him alone. Normally, he would have been obviously content in what he was doing, but it had been a long time since the young man had looked happy doing his job. If anyone looked closely at him now, the expression they would see was that of distant bordom even if he did remain completely focused. And while Tim remained undeterred by the commotion around him, the rest of the team were restless and obviously itching for something to do that took physical activity beyond the desk.

Looking around the room at his team, Gibbs took stock in what he'd picked up on when they'd come back from lunch with Ziva looking troubled and Tim wearing the look of someone trying to shelve freshly inflicted pain and sorrow. Even Tony had come back rather quiet. And now with one burying himself in work and the other two more restless than he liked, Gibbs finally took pity on them all; Looking over at the antsy ones. "Go spar it out in the gym. You've got an hour."

Tony and Ziva were gone almost before the words had finished coming from the boss' mouth. As expected, almost immediately, peace returned to the squad room. Tim remained lost in his own little cyber world, not even realizing he was under scrutiny from across the room. Gibbs seldom spoke, but he rarely missed what was going on right in front of him.

He'd been noticing Tim's withdrawn and almost sad demeanor lately but, true to form, never commented on it because the young man never seemed to lose focus on the job. Sure, there were bountiful times when he'd lose focus while at his desk; but he always got the work done and no case work ever suffered for his moments of private contemplation. The fact that there hadn't been any active cases in a while certainly helped keep things under control with all of them. His short yet insightful conversation with Tim earlier in the morning still niggled on the boss' mind, but as for right now, the peace and quiet was a rare treat that both Gibbs and his youngest agent relished.

***NCIS***

When Tony and Ziva returned to the squad room at the allotted time an hour later, Tony was quick to put an end to the treasured peace and quiet that did seem oddly out of place with the whole team present. "What did somebody die or something?" he quipped with a smart-alec grin strewn across his face.

Tim's eyes snapped up, all pretense of hiding anything instantly gone, as red-hot anger radiated off him. Practically jumping up from his chair as if he'd just been branded with a hot-iron, eyes nearly snapping with fury unleashed, Tim reacted.

"Only YOU would even joke about something like that, DiNozzo!" Pushing his chair angrily out of his own way, Tim stormed from the squad room without even looking back.

"Tony! Why must you always act so uncaring about the people around you?" Ziva asked with rising anger of her own

She alone knew what Tim had been dealing with for the past three weeks and she alone knew how angry, grieviously sorrowful and helpless he was feeling about the entire situation. But, Tim had sworn her to secrecy since it had nothing to do with their jobs. He'd promised her that he would talk to Gibbs about it if and when it became too much to carry alone and she was trusting him to keep his word just as much as he was trusting her to keep hers.

Ziva had been surprised when he'd confessed to her that he'd already tried to talk to Gibbs but hadn't managed to force himself to get out of the car once he'd gotten to the man's house; not once, but four times! From what Ziva could tell, it wouldn't be long now before that conversation finally took place. She hoped it happened sooner than later.

Gibbs glared at his Senior Field Agent, his own rising temper barely leashed as his mind replayed what he'd seen take place for the last four nights, at his home, late at night.

**Flashback**

Sanding the planks repeatedly, he found the steady repetitive motion as calming as he'd always found it to be. It had been a rough month and there were things going on beneath the surface with his team members that he wished he knew the stories behind and hoped they were as okay as they were leading him to believe. Before he could think on that further, his phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Leroy."

"Mrs. Jones. It's late, Are you alright?" he asked his elderly neighbor whom he'd known since Shannon and Kelly had been the lights of his life.

" I'm just fine, Leory,. But, I wanted to let you know that there's a strange looking car in front of your house. It's been there for going on thirty minutes now. I know you live in your basement, dear one, and don't always realize when you're about to have company. But this young man has yet to get out of his car. Should we call in the police, Leroy?"

"No. Mrs. Jones." Gibbs chuckled softly. "Can you describe the car?"

"It's a rolling bag of money, I tell you! Why these youngsters think they have to buy such fancy cars at their age, I'll never…"

"Relax, Mrs. Jones. That's just one of my team members."

"Well, for heaven's sakes, why doesn't he get out of the car and go in then?" she demanded in frustration. "I can't tell you how it's made my heart thump with worry to see him sitting there for so long like he's planning something horrid."

"Mrs. Jones. I promise you, he wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Is that right? Well, does he have a name?" she asked dryly.

Gibbs chuckled outright. "Yes, Ma'am. His name is Tim McGee."

"I see. Well, in that case, I'll go back to reading my book. But, you mark my words, young man, anyone sitting in front of your house in their car for more than 10 minutes like this is more than just unsure; they're downright in need of getting something off their chest. Why don't you talk to him, Leroy?"

"I'll do that, Mrs. Jones. Thank you." Gibbs hung up the phone and called Tim's phone.

"Boss?" Tim's worry and uncertainty came through the line as plain as day, as did something that immediately had Gibbs thinking something was wrong with the young man; despair.

"McGee. You're scaring my neighbors. Get in here." Gibbs told him gruffly, unable to think of a better way to get through to the oftentimes stubborn young man. Truth be told he was a little unsettled at Tim's arrival at his house. He remembered that Tim had never been here except for the time they fought to clear Jenny's name when Vance was on that fishing expedition some years back. The fact that the young man was here now, brought very few possibilities to mind and none of them good.

The start of Tim's car engine had been hard to miss and the attempts to all him going straight to voicemail for the next thirty minutes also clued Gibbs in as to how things had just taken a turn for the worse leaving the Team Leader angry and very frustrated but he'd understood it. Tim had never come to him before about anything that wasn't about a case before. This had to be a huge step for him; one, he apparently wasn't ready to take completely, even if he needed to. Mentally head slapping himself for spooking the young man when that hadn't been his intention in the least, Gibbs swore he'd handle it differently if it ever happened again. Maybe he could get Tim to talk to him tomorrow.

Gibbs left that situation at home when he went to work the next day, not saying or doing anything different, but looking for signs that Tim wanted to talk. It was as if it had never happened for the both of them. Through out the day, things seemed to be on normal track between Tim and Gibbs and neither, it seemed were willing to mess with that. At the end of the day, the silence that normally sat between them, remained in place.

Strangely enough, that night Gibbs got yet another phone call this time, heralding a scolding from the elderly woman who'd called him the night before. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs! I thought you promised me you were going to talk to that young man! You must not have if he's sitting outside your house once more!"

"Mrs. Jones, "He'll come in when he's ready." Gibbs had told her.

By the fourth night of this; last night, Gibbs was practically itching to go out to Tim's car and yank him out of it and into the house just to get him to see that he was welcome there and since he obviously needed to talk, the boss was ready to listen. Patience had never been the Team Leader's strong suit, but having noticed that each night that Tim sat in front of his house, it had been for a good 15 minutes longer than the night before, struck him as progress and so he decided to leave things alone and let them sort themselves out.

***End Flashback***

****NCIS****

Sitting in the break room after storming out of the squad room, Tim worked to chomp down on everything that had risen to the surface and driven his emotions over the top. It was times like these, when faced with careless remarks or jibes that unintentionally cut too close to the truth, that were the hardest to get through. His mask slipping for the second time in one day wasn't helping either.

It had been a horrendous month and every day had been a new stringent assignment in wearing the mask of normal so tightly, no one could even glimpse the pain and sorrow underneath. Somewhere underneath all that was the anger, burning so hot and thick it threatened to choke him if it ever saw the light of day; which was why Tim called up every ounce of self control he had to hold it all in so no one saw, almost no one.

With a wry smile, he remembered the moment, just a little bit ago over lunch, that someone saw underneath and dared to stand their ground and insist he let them be the friend that he needed.

***Flashback**

The tears were so close to the surface, it was all he could do to turn his head before he was found out. It would be the end of any sense of peace on the team if they saw him reduced to tears, no matter what the reason was and that was something he couldn't live with. Live with; oh, God. Mom! I'm so sorry, I failed you!

Breathing out a shaky sigh of so many bottled up emotions he felt like he was choking, Tim rose to his feet and silently took himself out of the diner while Ziva was in the restroom, without waiting until she got back

When Ziva found him a mere few minutes later, she quietly told him what she needed him to know.

"I watched you leave the diner just now, just as I've watched you continue to carry this burden that seems to weigh you down more and more every day. Not a day had gone by in the last three weeks, that you have not, at least at some point in the day, looked, even if just for a moment, as though someone had just killed your best friend."

Tim's eyes filled with tears as he turned his head away from her intense boring gaze that could read him as well as Gibbs did. The fact that she had just hit the proverbial and literal nail on the head, blew away all locks on the doors holding his pain and sorrow inside.

"McGee, what is it? Please, let me help you." Ziva urged gently. "Do not continue to carry this alone. Has something happened to someone close to you? Is that why you remain so heavily burdened?"

Tim nodded through the tears that were trying to escape, as he dug into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper that he'd gotten from the lawyer just that morning and unfolded it before handing it to her so she could read it since it summed it all up in a nutshell, rather than him having to talk about it.

Ziva took the paper from him and looked down at it, perusing it quickly to gain at least the main crux of the problem. Gasping, she looked up at Tim in shock. "This is what you have been carrying alone?" she asked sadly.

"Not exactly something I can just bring up in a casual conversation, Ziva." Tim murmured as he got up from the bench, wiped at his eyes and went to stand by the tree nearby that overlooked the harbor , looking out at the world as it passed him by.

She looked down at the paper again, this time, taking the time to read it more carefully.

Court Dockett Summary:

Mr. Scott McGee has asked the court to grant him the order to turn off the life-support system currently keeping his wife, Mrs. Megan McGee alive.

Mrs. Megan McGee, a passenger in a car that was struck Dec. 28 by a car that ran a red light, is in critical condition at a local hospital.

Mrs. McGee slipped into a coma after suffering brain and spinal injuries and remains on life support. She subsequently developed a brain hemorrhage and has no expected hope of recovery.

Mr. McGee wishes to turn off his wife's life support in support of Mrs. McGee's Living Will which stipulates that she not be kept alive under such measures if her life is deemed vegetative or non-recoverable.

Timothy McGee, her grown son, an NCIS Special Agent, has made his wishes known that his mother be allowed to continue to fight for her life,citing the possibility of his mother's recovery, slim as it may be.

Timothy McGee has stated that he will not pursue legal action to argue the court's decision beyond that of his legal counsel's representation, as he does not wish for this to become any sort of publicity circus.

Sarah McGee, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. McGee, has declared that she strongly supports whatever decision her father makes regarding her mother.

Final Court Decision: To be determined within seven days.

Ziva set the paper down and looked over at Tim as he stared out across the empty space before him.. "McG….Tim." she called to him softly.

Turning to look at her, the pain in his eyes tore at her heart. "What can I do to help?"

Tim shook his head. "Nothing, Ziva." He replied quietly. "There's nothing anyone can do. I won't let this become public. It's not fair to the agency."

"Nor would it be fair to you." She reminded him.

"Seven days." He muttered angrily.

"What is seven days?" she asked him

"He's killing her seven days from the day the court hands down its' decision; within the next seven days." Tim whispered as he plopped down on the bench that overlooked the bay, arms resting on his knees as his head dropped down into his open palms, his shoulders shaking with unshed grief, anger and helplessness.

She turned and pulled him back up by his shoulders and wrapped him up in her arms, silently giving him permission to let it out. After what seemed like forever, Tim's emotional storm passed, or at least waned enough that he began working to regain his control and put it back under his mask. He gently pulled himself back away from her and looked back out over the water after whispering a heartfelt 'thank you' to her.

"Tell me about it." She urged him gently as he wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat.

"It's his idea of a compromise. He says if he the court rules in his favor and if she doesn't wake up in the next seven days, he's going forward with turning off her machines." Tim said bitterly, his anger finally surfacing now that his other emotions had been given their outlet.

"Are you positive you do not wish to fight this?" Ziva asked him gently. "It is obvious that your heart is fighting it terribly. Why would you not follow your heart and fight to keep your mother alive?"

"I can't do that." Tim admitted. "Too much publicity, too many people affected and what if they're right after all?"

"So then you are not completely convinced she will wake up? You are hurting and feeling like your family has turned their backs on your mother and yourself because you cannot bring yourself to let go of the hope that she will wake up, yes?"

After a moment of silence, Tim finally found the voice to answer the question. "Yeah. Don't get me wrong, Zee, I have a lawyer to fight for Mom's right to live and I've never been so angry before in my life, but I can't fight the doctors, my father and my sister alone. The spouse has the final say, regardless. Not to mention, my mother's Living Will is even against her staying on the machines. I just…"

"You just cannot bear to let her go in this way. That is understandable." Ziva expressed with compassion. "McGee. You cannot keep this locked away. Let yourself lean on your friends. "

"Only you." He allowed quietly. "I couldn't take it if this found its way into Tony's box of jokes or pranks or God forbid, Abby's version of spreading the news but calling it concern."

"I understand why you would worry about that. However, you and I both know that neither Tony nor Abby would ever use this inappropriately against you. I know you are feeling a lot of different feelings right now, but it is unfair of you to think otherwise of them, yes?" She prodded gently.

"Yeah, I know." Tim huffed out with resignation."I know it's not fair to think the worst of them, especially about something like this. I just…I don't know…it's not something I can really talk about with either of them, you know?"

"You could inform them the same way you just informed me, McGee. That way you would not have to say anything. And Gibbs needs to know that you need some time to be able to cope with this. He can at least listen and offer to help you. And what about Ducky? Is he not usually very helpful in such things?"

"Ducky just lost his mother and look at how private he kept that. He didn't even tell any of us and we all met her and cared about her. We all care about him a great deal and yet he didn't tell us. That's why I don't want to burden him with this." Tim explained with compassion for the M.E.'s painful loss. "Look how close he and Gibbs are and he didn't even tell Gibbs!"

"I suppose you are right about that. However, that does not excuse you from talking to Gibbs about this. And I am concerned that Abby and Tony will most likely be angry that you are denying them this chance to be there for you when you need them. After all, they consider themselves to be your friends and that is what friends do for each other, yes?"

"I'll think about what you said about Tony and Abby. But, why would you suggest Gibbs, Ziva?" Tim replied, not quite able to hide his surprise at her suggestion regarding the boss.

"Because I have seen the man when he is allowed to be there for us when we need him." She admitted quietly. "Letting him in makes a difference, believe me."

"You, sure. Abby, definitely, Tony, without a doubt. Me? Not likely." Tim answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I want you to promise me, McGee. Promise me that if this becomes too much to bear, you will do that. You will talk to Gibbs before it affects your job or your health or worse, your mind. Give him the chance to prove to you that he can be there for you when you need him to be"

"The funny thing is, Ziva? I've tried to talk to Gibbs already."

"You have? When?"

"For the past four nights."

"Well, what did he say?"

"Nothing." Tim told her sadly.

"Nothing? The man said absolutely nothing when you informed him of this situation?" Ziva asked with pure disbelief.

"Not exactly." Tim hedged.

"McGee! Explain!" she demanded impatiently.

"I drove to his house, but I couldn't even force myself to get out of the car."

"Why not?"

"I kept trying to find the nerve; trying to find the words to say, but they wouldn't come. I just couldn't find them."

"You must try again, McGee. The fact that you took yourself to his house and more than once in an effort to bring yourself to talk to him must prove to you that you do need to do so. I know that you have never before taken that step with anything else happening in your life because you do not believe he will want to be there for you. But I promise you that he will."

"Okay. "Tim gave in. "I'm pretty sure you're wrong, but I'll at least make the attempt one more time."

"Good. Now, do not forget, that I am here for you as well. And I know that I can count on your promise me that you will try to see the wisdom of letting your other friends be there for you as well." She instructed as she stood up, kissed his cheek and left him to think things over as she went back inside to retrieve the food orders for the team.

**End Flashback**

Blinking repeatedly to clear the memory, Tim came back to the here and now, wryly replaying over in his mind, the events of the last four nights, when he'd tried talking to Gibbs. At least, he'd tried so far as to drive out to the man's house, just like he'd explained to Ziva. Every night for the past four nights, he'd driven to the man's house and parked out front, waiting for the moment when he found the strength to get out of the car and go ask the man for help. He hadn't been able to do any more than park and sit there, thinking himself into a migraine every night and still not finding it within himself to actually get out of the car.

That first night, when Gibbs had called him as he sat out in his car had spooked him. He'd been so startled to hear the man's voice and mortified to hear that he'd scared Gibbs' neighbors enough that they must have called the man to complain. Nearly instantaneously, his mind slipped into 'fight or flight' mode and he found himself reflexively turning off his phone while still holding it and driving away from there as quickly as he could.

He couldn't explain what had driven him back to the boss' house the next night or the following two nights after that. It unnerved him to realize that he felt safer sitting there in front of the man's house than he felt in his own apartment. Not only did he feel safer, but he also felt much more at peace, even with the chaos, pain and sorrow going on behind the curtain of his own life. While he was sitting here, his mind found plenty of other things to focus on; like work and his teammates and why he and his boss couldn't talk like Gibbs and Tony obviously could and how much of a difference having Gibbs to talk to would be and why all of a sudden he understood what Ziva had meant when she told him after she returned from Somalia, that it had made the difference to her.

Shaking his head, Tim recalled his mind back to the here and now once more, focused on refreshing his coffee and heading back to the squad room. It was time for him to face the music regarding his blow-up at Tony. He knew he'd handled it badly and needed to make amends. Damn, he really needed to put this all away and get back to all things being normal around work. If only he could. Tim slipped the mask back on and had taken all of a
half –dozen steps when his phone rang.