Chapter Three
Friday Evening
Ducky stood at the half-open door, neither of the men sitting at the kitchen table had heard him come in. He hesitated; if he went in there, what could he say? There, there Timothy, take a pill and it will all be better in the morning? Because they all knew things were not likely to get better any time soon. But if he stayed outside, how could he help Tim to cope with the thought that his career was in ruins? He was about to push open the door when he heard Jimmy's voice.
"Please Tim, don't think like that. There are lots of us who know that you couldn't do what they said. But...but like me, they didn't speak up; and I feel...I for one am ashamed of that; I don't ask you to forgive me...because...well, because my silence is unforgivable. It was...I was carried along with..."
The unmistakable bagpipe skirl of Ducky's phone put an end to Jimmy's confession.
"Yes…of course Jethro, we'll be right there."
He pushed open the door; Jimmy was already on his feet.
"We have to leave; they've found a body at the suspect's home. Timothy…I don't like to leave you alone."
"Not a problem, I'll be sleeping again soon. Jimmy, thanks…for everything, and really, don't blame yourself…I'm not looking to blame anyone...just trying to get my head round everything. You should go, Gibbs doesn't like waiting."
There was tension in the air when Ducky and Jimmy walked into the crime scene. The three occupants of the room were going about their jobs in the usual well-drilled manner that was a hallmark of Gibbs' team, but there was something else, and it wasn't simply the serious nature of the current case. A marine wife being abducted was indeed a grave matter, but Ducky couldn't remember encountering such silence before. This team never worked in silence, one or other was always talking, Tony with his constant movie references, Gibbs with his Marine insights, Ziva struggling with idioms, and Tim, enthralled by another wonderful piece of technology…and there was the something else, Tim wasn't here.
Ducky knelt beside the body, and started his examination, Jimmy wheeled in the gurney and they carefully readied the body for transportation back to the Navy Yard.
"Don't need a time if death Duck, witnesses heard the shot, saw a man running from the scene; but if there's anything you can get from the body that will help us with a location for this scumbag, it could get us closer to Alice Howell."
"We will do everything possible Jethro. Jimmy, shall we get him into the truck?"
Tony helped Jimmy lift the body, much to Jimmy's amazement, Tony never got his hands dirty with this kind of stuff.
"How's he doing Jimmy?"
Ah, so that was why he was helping.
"He…honestly I think his world has disintegrated, and he's trying so hard to understand what happened...Tony, I don't think he can grasp…I mean, maybe if he wasn't sick, he could deal with it better, but…he looks…"
"Bereft…Timothy looks as if he has lost something rare and precious, and he doesn't know whether he will ever be able to find it again."
Ducky had seen Jimmy struggling to explain Tim's plight to Tony; he'd seen Gibbs and Ziva listening, and he wanted them all to know, and he needed to acknowledge to himself the level of the anguish that Tim was feeling because of their behaviour.
"I know you are in the midst of a very difficult case right now Jethro, but when it is over, when Timothy is stronger, we all need to speak to him."
Gibbs gave a curt nod, he was struggling with his own emotions, but right now a young mother was missing, and he was determined to reunite her with her children.
"When we're done here, we'll see…Tony check with Abby, see if there's any news on that cell phone trace…
[b]Friday Nigh[/b]
Three hours later they were all assembled in the squad room, Mrs Howell was being checked over in the hospital, but she appeared to be none the worse for her confinement, her husband and children had been so grateful, so delighted to have her back, it almost allowed them to forget for a short time that their team mate was going through agonies of his own…Now that the case was over, they could allow themselves time to think again, and there was only one person on their minds.
"But Gibbs, when can I see Timmy? I have to explain, tell him I'm sorry."
"Not up to me Abs."
Gibbs cast a questioning glance in Ducky's direction.
"Give him another day Abigail. Although he's recovering physically; mentally…he's in a very fragile state, and I'm concerned that a word out of place now would set him back further. I'm not sure he's ready for Team Gibbs en masse, but…if I could ask, Ziva, would you be prepared to call by in the morning? I think it would be good for him to talk to the one person who stood by him through all this; the rest of us…well let's just say, it was not our finest hour."
Ziva didn't even attempt to hide her delight.
"If you think he is well enough, I would be very happy to visit."
Ducky smiled warmly.
"Thank you my dear, and Abby, don't worry, I'm sure Timothy will want to see you very soon."
It was past midnight by the time Ducky arrived home. His first port of call was the guest room; Tim was sleeping peacefully, and Ducky couldn't help smiling when he saw three glasses of water lined up on the bedside table, Timothy wasn't taking any chances with the jug tonight. He closed the door carefully, and quietly walked down stairs and into the kitchen. A cup of tea, and then bed, he switched on the light and let out a quiet exclamation.
"Oh Timothy!"
The kitchen was spotless, every plate, cup, knife and fork washed, dried and put away. Ducky should have known that even in his weakened state Tim wouldn't want him coming home to dirty dishes.
Saturday Morning
Ziva arrived at 8am as promised.
"Come in my dear, Timothy hasn't come down yet, and I don't like to wake him, rest is a great healer. Now, would you like a cup of tea while we wait, have you eaten?"
"Thank you Ducky, tea would be good, I have already had breakfast."
"Of course you have, early to rise for your run. I should have remembered."
Ducky busied himself making the tea, and as they sat drinking he asked the question that had been on his mind ever since they had watched in Abby's lab as the evidence against Tim was dismantled,
"How did you know Ziva? When the rest of us doubted him, turned our backs to him, how did you know he was innocent?"
She was genuinely surprised.
"But that is exactly it Ducky. I cannot see how any one; anyone who knows him could ever believe that McGee would be involved in harming children. How could he hide such a thing? He cannot dissemble, oh he tries his best; particularly when Tony is goading him, but if you look closely, you can see the hurt. You ask how I knew, I ask, how could you not know?"
For once in his life, Donald Mallard was speechless; it was that simple, she knew with absolute certainty that Timothy could not act in such a way, and no amount of evidence, or glares from Gibbs would sway her from that conviction.
"My dear, I thank God that you knew, because I shudder to think what could have happened to him if he had to spend even one more night in lock-up. I wonder if he would like a cup of tea."
"Shall I ask him?"
"No Ziva, you are a guest, you wait here, and I'll go and see…."
"Ziva!"
She was running up stairs almost before the last echo of her name had sounded in the hall.
Ducky was standing on the landing holding a single sheet of paper.
"He's gone…Ziva; he's gone, he left this."
Ziva took the note from Ducky's shaking hand.
Ducky
Thank you for everything. Sorry to leave like this, but I know if I see you, you'd persuade me to stay.
I need some time alone, work out where I go from here.
Tim
Ziva read the note again, she was worried, really worried.
"You said his mental state was fragile…Ducky, do you think he would…"
"No! Oh my dear, no…Timothy has too much to live for."
He held on to Ziva's hand, and as he uttered those words Ducky prayed that they were true.
