Title: By the Pricking of My Thumbs, Part 3
Disclaimer: Don't own, just playing, yadda yadda
Maybe the third time uploading this will be the charm *grumble*
Holy men tell us life is a mystery
They embrace that concept happily
But some mysteries bite and bark
And come to get you in the dark.
Book of Counted Sorrows
Saturday
Of all the things he had seen in his lifetime, both natural and supernatural, Jimmy reflected, nothing terrified him nearly as badly as riding shotgun with Ziva at the wheel. The trip to their destination would have normally taken him an hour, and when they arrived just thirty-five minutes after leaving the hospital, it took him nearly a minute to convince his fingers to let go of the dashboard.
"This is the place?" Ziva asked, seemingly unaware of the effects of her unique interpretation of the traffic laws.
"Y-yes." He finally managed to open the door and stepped out. After a few moments, when his knees had stopped shaking, he started up the familiar walkway to the front door of an old but well-kept Cape Cod-style house.
"Who lives here?" Ziva asked. "Someone who can help us?"
"Well, yes, but that's not why we're here." He reached out and rang the doorbell. After nearly a minute of silence, footsteps could be heard within, and after another moment of silence the door swung open to reveal a dark-haired, hazel-eyed, middle aged woman wearing a plaid robe.
"Jimmy, what are you doing here this time of night? What's going on?"
"We need to use the library," he said, and her eyes widened.
"What happened? What did you-?" Suddenly she noticed Ziva and stopped.
"It's OK. This is Ziva. She knows. Please, Mom, we're in a hurry." He ignored the startled look Ziva shot his way. "It's bad."
She opened the door wider and stepped aside so they could enter the house. After closing the door she returned her attention to them. "How bad, Jimmy?"
"I might need to go see Lou."
"Oh God…" She pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened her eyes again, a determined expression could be seen in them. "OK, let's go." She headed down the hall and the followed her to a door near the kitchen, which she opened and led them down into the basement.
The old familiar smells of dust, vellum, and leather tickled Jimmy's nose as he stepped into his family's private library. The room was lined floor to ceiling with bookcases, some of which were overflowing. More books were stacked on a large desk near the center.
Jimmy noticed that Ziva was studying the room with wide eyes and barely hid a smile. He'd had the same reaction the first time he'd understood what this place meant. He quickly remembered why they were here and the smile vanished.
"Now, tell me what you saw." His mother used her "command" tone and he knew better to ignore it. He quickly explained McGee's deterioration and what he had seen through the disk. When he finished she shook her head. "I don't remember ever hearing about anything like that, but I have an idea where you might look." She walked to the case in the far corner of the room and removed two large volumes, which she laid on the desk in front of Ziva. "It definitely sounds like Lou's territory. I better get to work." After she had ascended the stairs and shut the door, Ziva turned to Jimmy.
"Work on what?"
"Payment."
"Wait. We have to pay-?"
"Just trust me. It will work out, but first we have to figure out what this thing actually is." He pulled another chairs up to the desk. "Let's get started." He sat down and opened one of the books, and after a brief hesitation, Ziva did the same.
XXX
Sunday
Jimmy heard the old grandfather clock upstairs strike midnight, and unconsciously he spoke one of his father's favorite quotes regarding the hour.
"Tis now the very witching time of night, when churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world."
He caught Ziva's startled glance and flushed slightly. "Sorry. That…that won't actually happen, you know."
"Are you sure?" she asked with a slight smirk.
"Well, after what happened recently, I'm not that sure of anything any more." He closed the book he had been skimming with a sigh. "Except that there's nothing in this one. Any luck on your end?"
"Not yet." She went to the same shelf and scanned the books that resided there. "I will keep looking."
Jimmy grabbed a book from the stack on the desk and tried again. After a few moments, Ziva spoke.
"Why is it that you can see these things?"
Jimmy sighed. He had been dreading this discussion.
"It's a family trait. Some might call it a curse. Most of the people from both sides of the family have been able to see entities, and we've just accepted it. A lot of my ancestors made a point of studying what we can see and quite a few of the books here were written by them. It was more of a hobby for some, though."
"Is this your hobby?"
"No, not really. I decided to follow my mother's advice and focus on more normal things."
"What about your father?"
Jimmy felt a twinge in his gut, a reminder of the negative aspect of his family's ability.
"My father made it his profession. He was a folklorist, at least officially. He researched origins and tracks of legends, and taught the process to anthropology majors. He was a professor at a private college for fifteen years. He left, though, when I was five years old."
"May I ask what happened?"
"He…he let it slip that he didn't believe the stories he researched were just legends. His colleagues decided that he was unstable and managed to get his tenure withdrawn. He didn't really trust anyone after that, especially Normals…er, sorry. Regular people who can't see what we see."
"Is that why you did not tell anyone about this before?"
"Pretty much." He ducked his head in embarrassment and continued reading.
"I am sorry."
"Not your fault. It's…nice to have someone to tell about this, someone who believes me. Then again you didn't get much choice." He shut the book with a snap. "Nothing here, either."
"Then I guess we keep reading."
"Right."
"Jimmy?"
"Yeah?
"Where is your father now? What kind of work does he do? Could he-?"
"He's gone. Car accident, back before I started at NCIS."
"Again, I am sorry."
"Thanks, Ziva." He went over to another case, scanned the titles, and pulled out another book. He had to find the answer. He had to.
XXX
Three hours later, just when he was about to throw the book he was reading across the room in disgust, he heard Ziva gasp and looked up.
"What's wrong?"
She turned the book she was reading to face him and showed him the drawing that had caused her reaction. He shuddered inwardly as he caught sight of the creature depicted, sickeningly familiar. He took the book from Ziva and started to scan the page as she moved behind him to read over his shoulder.
"This is definitely what I saw. A bodarach. 'A shadow spirit, parasitic in nature. They lie dormant in abandoned dwellings after being unintentionally summoned during one of several negative energy rituals. Once awakened by an act of violence they latch on to an unsuspecting victim, draining their anima.' Er, that's…life force."
"So this…bodarach: it was in that house, because…?"
"Some kids probably tried a little dark spell work, just for kicks, or trying to be rebellious and didn't realize what they called up. It was woken up by the murder and then it was just waiting for-."
"-someone to come to it. And McGee did." Ziva swore in Hebrew. "Now what?"
He skimmed the next few pages but there wasn't anything else of use. "I guess we go see Lou."
Before she could respond, Ziva's cell phone rang and she hurriedly answered it.
"Yes? No, I…" She listened and her eyes widened in alarm. "I understand. I will be there as soon as I can. No, I am not at home. It is… I am on my way." She closed the phone with a snap and looked up at Palmer, her eyes wet with unshed tears.
"That was Tony. He said McGee stopped breathing and they had to put him on a ventilator. He is in a coma, and…they do not think he will last much longer." She took a deep breath. "How far away is Lou?"
"About twenty minutes, headed back towards D.C. Mom should have the payment ready. Let's go."
They ran up the stairs and Jimmy's mother came out of the kitchen just as they opened the door. One look at their faces and she hurried back into the kitchen, only to emerge a few moments later with a box.
"Thanks, Mom," he said as he carefully took it from her, ignoring Ziva's questioning look.
"Good luck. Don't let Lou give you any crap, either."
"I won't."
He followed Ziva out the door and to her car, where he climbed it, buckled in and, as she peeled away from the curb, held on to the box for dear life.
XXX
Ziva pulled up in front of the house and couldn't help but stare in surprise. She had expected something more…gothic, befitting of someone who made a habit of destroying supernatural things. Instead she found herself in front of a neat white farmhouse, well tended, with a welcoming porch light next to the oddly ornate front door.
"Protection symbols," said Jimmy in a slightly strained voice.
"What?"
"On the door. I saw you looking at them. They're there to keep things out. Lou can be just a little paranoid."
"Great."
They both climbed out of the car and started up the front walkway. Ziva saw more strange symbols worked into the path and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She hated not knowing what they were walking into but there was nothing she could do about it.
Jimmy rang the doorbell and stepped back. After several moments, the door opened to reveal a rather striking woman, casually dressed in jeans and a sweater. Her silver streaked auburn hair was caught up in a loose bun at the nape of her neck, and dark brown eyes peered at them from behind wire-rimmed glasses. Suddenly she smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.
"Jimmy Palmer, as I live and breathe! What brings you by…at this unusual hour?"
"Hi, Lou. I, uh. I need your help. We need your help."
Her eyes locked on Ziva for a few seconds. "You must be desperate. You brought a Normal with you."
"We are," broke in Ziva. "Our friend is dying and we need to stop it."
"Why didn't you say so in the first place? Come on in." She opened the door and let them pass through before shutting it behind them. They stepped into the front room and stopped. The interior of the house was as tidy and normal as the exterior.
When the reached the living room, Jimmy held out the box and Lou took it with a grin. "Thank your mom for me, Jimmy. I'll go put this away. Make yourselves comfortable." She disappeared through another door and Ziva turned to Jimmy.
"She is going to help? How?"
"You remember how I said my family spent time learning about supernatural entities? Lou's family spent their time learning, too, but they focused on how to get rid of them. If there's a way to kill this thing, she'll know."
"I hope so. We…and Tim, do not have much time left."
"I know, I know. Just bear with us for a few minutes."
Lou returned carrying a tray loaded with three mugs and a plate full of thin slices of cake, which she set on the coffee table. She noticed Ziva's stare and shrugged.
"Seemed impolite not to share. One of these days I'm going to convince your mother to give me the recipe, Jimmy. Now, what is causing the problem?"
"A bodarach."
Lou frowned. "Nasty buggers. Haven't heard of any being around for quite awhile. Where did your friend pick it up?"
"One of our crime scenes."
She nodded, thoughtfully. "I'm a little worried of how it got there in the first place, but no matter. We'll take care of it."
Ziva felt a flood of relief. "You'll be able to kill it? Get it away from McGee?"
"No, but you two will. I'll just provide the means. How long has it been with him?"
"Since Thursday."
Lou made a face. "Poor man. Well, I better get started. Sit back, take a break. I'll be as
quick as I can."
"Wait." Lou turned and gave Ziva a questioning look. "I want to help." Lou continued to stare at her for a brief moment before nodding.
"All right, follow me." Jimmy rose from the sofa and she held up a hand. "Not you, Jimmy. I still remember the last time you 'helped'."
"That was an accident…"
"Yes, I know. Just sit tight, we'll be back soon."
Jimmy sat back down and Ziva followed the woman up the stairs to the second floor. The entire second floor was open, and the walls were lined with bookcases, cabinets, and hooks holding a variety of objects that Ziva couldn't even begin to identify. Lou went to one of the shelves which held a series of leather-bound volumes which reminded Ziva of encyclopedias. Lou removed one from the shelf, opened it, flipped through a few pages and handed it to Ziva.
"Read that list for me, will you? I'll start getting the stuff you need together."
"Why wouldn't you let Jimmy help?" asked Ziva as she read the first item: black salt.
"Jimmy's a sweet boy, but he's a bit of a klutz, especially around me. I guess I make him nervous." She grinned and started to search through one of the cabinets. She brought out a glass vial and set it on one of the tables. "Next?"
Ziva read through the next few items on the list and watched Lou move about the room, finding each item with ease. She obviously understood the cataloging system at work, even if her assistant didn't. Finally Ziva decided to ask another question.
"People pay you to help them?"
"Not usually, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Or at least that's what people seem to think. I'm not complaining, though. It takes care of expenses, at least."
"But…Jimmy's mother paid you with cake? Is this a normal payment?"
Lou chuckled. "Only for his family. Evelyn Palmer's butter pecan cake is worth its weight in gold."
"I will take your word for it." She thought for a moment. "You seemed ready for us. I hadn't expected anyone to be awake at this hour."
"Just got off work. I'd normally be awake all night anyway, since the things I deal with are out and about then. What's next?"
Ziva continued down the list. When she reached the last item, she had another question.
"How did you know that I am not like Jimmy?"
"Well, you - Normals, that is - you looks slightly different than we do. To us."
"I see. People like you, how many are there?"
"Not too many. Only a few family lines have the talent. Jimmy's family is probably one of the oldest, and they're responsible for a lot of the things we know. My family is probably responsible for the rest. Different goals, it's true, but we can usually cooperate." Lou uncovered the final item and pulled out a leather satchel before turning to Ziva.
"All done? Good. Put everything in this bag." Lou pulled out a piece of paper and held out her hand for the book. Ziva handed it over and Lou started to copy the information from the next page.
"Why do you do this?"
Lou smiled, but there was something behind that expression that Ziva understood. "Lots of reasons. Mainly because no one else is crazy enough to do it, and it needs to be done, as you have seen. And of course, I really couldn't do anything else. It's in my blood, you know." She took the bag from Ziva and headed towards the stairs, and after a brief hesitation Ziva followed.
Jimmy rose from the sofa as they entered the living room and Lou handed the bag to him.
"All set. Ready for your instructions?"
Jimmy blushed. "I…I'm sorry, I should write this down, but…"
Lou smiled and pulled the paper out of her pocket. "Not a problem, but I do want to walk you through it. You can't afford to make mistakes, you know. Now, getting the bodarachaway from your friend is just part of it. You'll need to take it back where it came from - to the crime scene - and destroy it. Only then will your friend get his anima back."
"Seems…simple enough."
Lou chuckled. "Beware the illusion of simplicity, my friend. It's doable, that's all I can say." She then began to explain exactly what it was they had to do.
Both Jimmy and Ziva listened carefully. When Lou had finished, Ziva sincerely hoped that they wouldn't mess it up. She would never forgive herself if they lost McGee.
XXX
Tony sat in the hard plastic chair next to McGee's hospital bed, staring at his friend and listening to the soft clicks and whirs of the equipment currently keeping him alive. He was alone with the younger man, as Gibbs had just left to take Abby and Ducky home. Tony wasn't sure what was worse: Abby's near hysteria, Ducky's agony in his belief that he had missed something, or Gibbs being at a complete loss. The last one he could understand himself. On the job, they expected to lose people, and had lost them, but it was usually due to something concrete: a gun, a knife, a bomb. It was terrible when it happened, and the pain it caused drove the agents to seek justice. What was happening to McGee was so much worse. There was no criminal to track down, no case to close, nothing on which to focus the anger and pain. Watching his friend wither away before his eyes was something Tony had never expected, and he really wished he didn't have to witness it now.
"Damn it, Tim. I really wish we knew what was going on so we could stop it. You know we would if we could, buddy."
The doctors continued to be baffled, and Abby hadn't discovered anything, although she had tried all of her tests at least twice. Tony had heard one of the med students comment about "maybe it's something we'll find at autopsy" and had barely kept himself from punching the man. He didn't want to think about that particular procedure being done to McGee. It wasn't right.
He pulled out his phone and debated calling Ziva again. He couldn't understand why she wasn't here, and had started to worry, especially light of what had happened to McGee. He was also angry. How dare she abandon their partner?
Suddenly he heard a noise behind him and turned to see the object of his concern. Ziva, followed by Jimmy and looking distinctly ruffled, rushed into the room and froze when her gaze fell on Tony. Anger quickly beat out worry as he rose to face her.
"Where in the hell have you been? McGee, he…you should have been here, damn it. I-."
"Tony, you may yell at me later. Right now we need you to leave. Please."
"What? Why?"
She growled in frustration and turned to Jimmy. "Give it to me. He needs to see. Otherwise we will get nowhere with him."
"See what?" He saw Jimmy remove something from his pocket and he handed it to Ziva, who in turn held it up for Tony to see.
"Look through this at me, and tell me what you see."
With an incredulous look, Tony took the flat metal disk and stared through the pane at Ziva. "Nothing. What does this have to do with-?"
"Now, look at McGee."
"What?"
"Just do it, Tony!"
He turned to look down at the silent figure on the bed, and froze, unbelieving: there was something sitting on McGee's right shoulder. Tony blinked and looked again, his jaw dropping at the sight in front of him.
The thing was clearer this time, and he really wished it wasn't. It was dark, almost black, with a long segmented tail the reached behind McGee and disappeared at his neck. It was walking back and forth across McGee's chest on six multi-segmented legs, each covered with rows of thin spikes. The thing's body was long and wedge-shaped, like a scorpion, and covered with fine dark hair. Its face, such as it was, had two large red eyes on stalks and a mouth with razor-like teeth. The most disturbing part of its appearance, however, was the fact that its two front limbs ended in small, perfectly-formed human hands. It paused to reach out and touch McGee's cheek with one of the hands, almost like a caress, which caused bile to rise in Tony's throat and he tore his gaze away to confront Ziva.
"What. In the hell. Is THAT?"
"A bodarach. It is what is killing McGee, and now we are going to kill it." She retrieved the disk from his hand. "We will be needing that."
"How…how did you…?"
"There is no time, Tony, now get out of our way. Please."
Unable to think of a response, other than to wonder if he had somehow wound up in the Twilight Zone, Tony backed away until he was up against the door. Jimmy reached up to pull the curtain to block McGee's bed from view, and Tony moved forward to the edge of the divider so he could see.
Jimmy took several vials out of the bag he had been carrying and handed one of them to Ziva. She opened it and dipped a finger into the clear liquid within, which she used to mark a circle on McGee's forehead. She then gently raised him up off the bed to expose the back of his neck and carefully poured the rest at the base of his neck. After laying him back on the bed, she gave the vial back to Jimmy, who had opened another and was sprinkling the contents over McGee's chest. Finally he took out a small concave mirror and a flat black rock, dripped the contents of a third and fourth vial on the centers of each before handing the rock to Ziva.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Jimmy nodded. "Here goes nothing."
As Tony watched, Jimmy held the mirror over McGee's face with one hand and the disk Ziva had retrieved from Tony in the other. He moved the disk up to his eye and took a deep breath before whispering something in a language Tony didn't recognize. Jimmy repeated the phrase over and over until suddenly Tony heard a soft, high-pitched shriek and Jimmy flinched, almost dropping the mirror as he pulled it away from McGee's face. Ziva immediately placed her hand with the rock on the center of her palm over McGee's heart and looked up at Jimmy with wide eyes.
"Did it work? Is it-?"
"Yep. Got the little bastard," he said with a grin. He caught Tony's gaze and blushed. "Sorry." He reached into the bag, took out a black metal box, and placed the mirror inside.
"Is that…is that it?" asked Tony, staring down at McGee.
"That was the first part. We got it to let go of him."
"So…he'll get better?"
"He won't get any worse, at least not for now." Jimmy picked up the back and headed for the door while Ziva remained, still holding the rock against McGee's chest.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"To do the second part. Ziva has to stay here with McGee and make sure he can get his…vitality back when I release it from the bodarach."
"I'm going with you," he declared as he himself made the decision. "Never hurts to have a backup, and…" I really can't watch McGee die. He shook his head at his own perceived cowardice and faced Jimmy. "Let's go." He glanced at Ziva and she gave him a shaky smile.
"Good luck."
Tony took one last look at his friend and followed Jimmy, briefly wondering if this really was, as he sincerely hoped, all just a nightmare.
XXX
It was still dark when they reached the house, and it was even creepier than before, Jimmy mused. Or perhaps that had something to do with what they now knew had happened there. He climbed out of Tony's car and headed for the front door of the house, making it nearly to the porch before he noticed that Tony wasn't next to him. He turned around and saw that the older man still standing by the car, staring up at the house.
"Tony? Are you coming with me?"
"I…yeah, I'm coming." As soon as Tony reached him, Palmer continued up the steps and pushed open the front door, carefully ducking under the crime scene tape. He went straight to the basement stairs and opened the door before switching on his flashlight. He turned to see if Tony was still behind him and sighed. The man was clearly freaked out, and Jimmy had no idea what to say to help. He decided to just do what he needed to do and deal with the fallout later.
He descended the stairs and looked around, glad that bodarachs were solitary. He started to pull supplies out of his bag and lay them out on the dirt floor. He consulted the paper Lou had given him and got to work.
Tony reached the bottom of the stairs and just stood there, watching him and not saying a word. Jimmy suppressed a shudder. A silent DiNozzo was a worrisome thing indeed.
Finally, after completing the isolation sigil, he opened the box and removed the mirror, placing in the center.
"I sent him down here."
Startled, Jimmy turned and looked up at Tony. "What?"
"McGee. I sent him down here and-."
"—the bodarach latched on to him. It wasn't your fault, Tony. No one had any idea it was down here…not even me."
Tony stared at Jimmy for a moment. "Why would you know?"
"Long story. My point is, you didn't know what would happen. No one blames you, I promise." He took a deep breath. "Now let's get this over with." He stepped away from the mirror and pulled out the disk. He put it up to his eye and focused on the mirror before starting the second incantation that Lou had given him.
The mirror shimmered and suddenly the bodarach crawled out of it. Jimmy could hear it grumbling in a strange mix of English and another unknown language. He continued to chant and suddenly the ground started to tremble.
"Uh, Jimmy? Is that supposed to be happening?"
"Kind of doubt it." He resumed his chant and he could swear that the bodarach was grinning at him. He raised his voice and continued. The ceiling above them started to crack and Tony ducked.
"What the hell is going on, Palmer?"
"I don't know!" He consulted the piece of paper and grimaced. Stupid! He ran over to the bag, grabbed one of the vials, and poured the contents out in a circle around the sigil. Suddenly the trembling stopped and the bodarach began to run in circles, shrieking. Palmer shouted the incantation one more time and as soon as he spit out the final word, the creature froze. Before he could even blink, a bright white cloud of light burst out of the bodarach and dove into the mirror. The creature let out one final horrendous shriek and exploded.
Jimmy waited, and after a few moments he breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Is that it?" Tony asked cautiously.
"I-." A loud creak was their only warning before a section of the ceiling started to cave in. Palmer felt a hand on his arm just before he was pulled out of the way when the ceiling came down, crushing the mirror in its path.
"Looks like that's our cue to leave," said Tony.
"Yeah…" Tony helped him to quickly gather the supplies and stuff them back in the bag before they ran up the steps and out of the house. They reached the car and turned around just in time to see the house collapse completely.
"Whoa…"
Jimmy stared in shock, which soon gave way to relief. Trying to cover his own anxiety, he turned to Tony with an expectant look, only to be greeted by silence.
"What, no movie reference?" he asked in a shaky voice.
Tony shook his head. "Not this time, Palmer. Come on. Let's get the hell out of here."
XXX
Ziva sat with her hand on McGee's chest and waited, praying that the plan would work. McGee did not appear to be getting any worse, as Lou had promised, but she was worried that the strain of what had happened would still be too much for him. She kept a careful eye on the machines, but they registered no change, and she started to wonder if Jimmy had managed to finish the spell.
Suddenly, she felt the rock get warm and she saw a white glow under her hand, which vanished almost as soon as it appeared. She looked up and studied McGee's face, but there was no change. She sighed and laid her head on his chest, over her hand. After all of this, she didn't want to consider the possibility that Jimmy had failed.
A soft groan startled and she looked up to see that McGee's eyes were wide open and full of panic. The beeping of the heart monitor sped up and he started to gasp, fighting against the tube in his throat.
"McGee! Calm down. You will be all right. Just stay calm. Please…"
The room was soon filled with doctors and nurses and Ziva felt herself being pushed out into the hallway. She tried to protest but stopped when the door closed in front of her. All she could do was watch the activity in McGee's room, and she had almost made up her mind to force her way back in when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Gibbs staring at her, a worried expression on his face.
"What happened? Is he…?"
"He…woke up." Gibbs' eyebrows shot up in surprise and he started for the door, only to be met by the head nurse. She held up her hands before either of them could ask a question.
"Agent McGee has regained consciousness and is able to breathe on his own. We…we have no idea how, or why, but he seems to be getting better."
Ziva and Gibbs both sagged in relief and the nurse continued. "He's still very weak, but we believe that will pass. He's one lucky man."
"May we see him?"
"As soon as the doctors finish, you may go in. Don't stay too long though, OK?"
They leaned against the wall to wait and neither spoke. Finally the doctors and nurses left McGee's room and were quickly replaced by Ziva and Gibbs. They moved to either side of the bed and gazed down at McGee. His eyes were closed and he still looked bad, but at least he was just pale instead of grey.
"Tim?" said Gibbs, and McGee's eyes opened slowly. He stared at the older man for a few minutes before responding, although his voice was barely more than a whisper.
"Boss? What…what happened…to me?"
"We don't know, Tim. The important thing is that you're going to be OK."
"You don't…know?" His eyes tracked to Ziva and she averted her gaze. She had no idea how to explain everything that happened.
"It is a mystery," she replied. "The doctors had no idea, but it seems to have worked itself up."
"Out…"
"Yes, that too. How are you feeling?" she asked quickly.
"Tired. Throat hurts. Neck…sore."
"Yeah, a ventilator will do that." Gibbs put a hand on McGee's shoulder. "Get some rest, Tim."
"OK…Boss. Ziva?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks."
"For what, McGee?" He didn't respond and she realized he was asleep. "You are welcome," she whispered, gently patted his cheek and followed Gibbs back out into the hall.
"I'm going to go call Abby and Ducky. Go home and get some sleep, Ziva."
"I will call Tony and Jimmy. I'm sure they…have been worried, too." Gibbs gave her a half-smirk and left.
Instead of leaving, she went back to McGee's room and sank into the chair next to his bed. She still had some lingering anxiety when she saw his still, pale form, but she was able to assure herself that he would, eventually, be OK. She just hoped it would be sooner than later.
XXX
The drive back to Bethesda was unnaturally quiet. When they arrived, Jimmy was surprised to see a familiar figure waiting near the front doors. He grabbed the bag from the back seat and carried it over to its owner.
"Hey, Lou. What are you doing here?"
"Just coming by to check on you and your friends. Looks like you did it, kiddo." She smiled at him and ruffled his hair, only to draw her hand back and look at it with first disgust and then mild amusement.
"Forgot the yarrow root oil, didn't you?"
"I remembered in time."
She chuckled. "Good. Might make a decent exorcist out of you yet. You did good, kid."
"Thanks. Do you want to come with us? Ziva will want to thank you, I'm sure."
Lou smiled, but there was a touch of sadness in her expression.
"I don't really belong, Jimmy. It's OK. See you next time." She took the bag from him, and, seeing Tony's startled expression, winked and walked off.
"Who-?"
"Another long story. Come on, let's go check on McGee."
They reached Tim's room and found Ziva asleep in the chair, her head resting on McGee's bed. Tony noticed immediately that McGee was looking much better and breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Palmer and saw a smile on the other man's face, a smile that disappeared as soon as he noticed Tony's gaze. Just as Palmer turned to leave, Tony caught his arm.
"Wait." He led Palmer out to the hall. "Thanks, Jimmy. I have no idea what this all was, but I do know you saved Tim. So thank you."
"You're welcome, Tony. No…no problem."
"Oh, I highly doubt that," he said with a shudder, "but important thing is, you did do it. Like Lou said, you did good."
"Thanks. But what about…?"
"The mumbo jumbo, the scorpion-thing from Hell, and the mysterious 'Lou'? Well, for that…" Tony grinned. "You've got some 'splaining to do. But I promise I'll keep an open mind. I think I'll have to." He clapped Palmer on the back and headed back to McGee's room.
Jimmy watched the scene before him and grinned as something became clear: these were, for better or worse, his friends.
As for the explanation, for the first time in his life he really didn't think he would mind. Maybe his secret wasn't such a bad thing after all
A/N: Jimmy quotes Hamlet, Act III, Scene ii
The bodarach and the rituals to get rid of it are my invention. Take that as you will.
The Epilogue is on its way.