DISCLAIMER: See first chapter.
A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, all of them are welcome (as long as they aren't flames) and we're all entitled to our own opinions.
It has kind of dawned on me that I didn't put in some caveats about this story... so... I know Tim isn't really the youngest, but I write him as the youngest, probably because he seems that way because of his different experiences. Yes, it's unrealistic for Tim to get so many (26) different injuries in one time line, but that's why I love fanfiction, I don't have to make it completely realistic! Finally I will be utilising OC's in multiple chapters because it's easier!
That said... on with the story... Thank you to those of you who made suggestions for D. A couple of you suggested darkness, for different reasons and I liked the idea so thank you for the suggestion! :)
D is for Darkness
"McGee…"
The man in question looked up from his computer screen to look at the person speaking, "Yes Boss?"
"Take a break," came the gruff response.
"I'm fine Boss…"
"That wasn't a request McGee! You've been sat in front of that computer for hours without a break."
"I'm close to cracking the encryption…"
Gibbs looked at his agent closely, his eyes were red rimmed and clearly he was getting over tired, which would mean he could miss something, "I wanna catch the son of a bitch too, but you need to take a break. DiNozzo!"
"Yes Boss," the man at the desk next to McGee's dragged his eyes up from the file he was reading to look at his boss.
"Take McGee and get dinner."
"On it Boss. Come on McEncryption."
Tim sighed. He knew it would be futile to argue with Gibbs on this and he had to admit that the screen was starting to blur slightly. A quick break and some food would likely cure that then he could get back to finishing what he started. Reluctantly he followed the Senior Field Agent to the elevator.
The MCRT had spent days trying to track down the man behind thefts that had so far left a dozen Navy and Marine families without their life savings. They had finally got the name of someone that they believed was part of it and they had hoped he would lead to the man who had set it all up.
Petty Officer Doran had been a person of interest so the team had geared up and headed out to his house. When they got there they heard shouting and by the time they were breaking in the door with shouts of 'NCIS' and 'Federal Agents', Doran was dead from a knife to the chest and his attacker had vanished out the back.
A search of the house provided fingerprints and hair samples for Abby, but also a laptop that McGee had been going through since he returned to the Navy Yard several hours ago. Doran had been sneakier than most and had a hidden partition on his hard drive that Tim had found relatively quickly, however once there all the files were encrypted. Tim suspected that there was a file for each one of the families that had had their life savings stolen, though from the number of files there were either some families that they didn't know about or details of future targets, but unless he could get into the files he couldn't be sure.
Tim and Tony exited the NCIS building on the Navy Yard and started for the parking lot. It was late afternoon on a Friday so the Yard was busy with people finishing up for the week and hurrying to get home. Maybe if it hadn't have been quitting time the two agents would have seen the danger approaching or perhaps they would have just been more aware of the people around them. Sadly this wasn't the case and it only took moments for things to go to hell in a hand basket.
-NCIS-
Tony was a few steps ahead of McGee as they walked out of the front of the building and towards the parking lot. When Gibbs called to him and told him to take McGee to get dinner he had taken one look at his Probie and knew that the only way he would leave his desk and take a break was if he was away from the building. Sure Gibbs could order him to take a break and he would, but left to his own devices Tim probably would have gone to the break room, got a Nutter Butter from the vending machine and then returned. Tony was lost in his own thoughts as he was walking to the car until he heard someone call out to McGee, he turned round to see who wanted to slow them down in their mission to get food, he was just in time to see McGee start to drop to the ground.
-NCIS-
Tim kept an eye on Tony's back as they cut through the people leaving for the day but his thoughts were on the encryption he was trying to crack. Petty Officer Doran's file had nothing in about computer skills so it had come as a surprise to find the partition and the encrypted files. Of course it was possible that Doran hadn't put those on the laptop and there was also the possibility that the person who had killed the Petty Officer had been after the same laptop but was prevented from getting it by the timely, or untimely depending on your point of view, arrival of the MCRT.
"Agent McGee…!"
Tim automatically turned at the sound of his name, a reflex that is built in to most human beings. There were several people nearby but he wasn't sure which of them had said his name, though it had been a male voice. He didn't have a chance to work it out as he saw a flash of movement and then felt a liquid splash in his face followed by an agonising burning sensation which dropped him to his knees.
Suddenly he was surrounded by chaos as people started shouting and screaming around him. All Tim could focus on was the sickening pain. He pressed his hands to his face, desperate to stop the burning sensation, but all that did was end up causing a similar burning sensation on his hands. He tried to open his eyes to see what was going on, another automatic reaction, but that just intensified the pain and all he got to see was blurry images of people rushing around him.
"McGee!" Tim felt someone's hand on his back and startled, "It's alright Tim, it's just me, it's Tony."
"Tony?" the younger agent's voice was barely audible.
"Yeah Tim, what happened?" Tony desperately tried to get a look at his team mate's face but was prevented from doing so by Tim's hands pressing against it, "Let me look."
"Hurts."
Tony gently pulled at Tim's wrists to get him to drop his hands and bit back a gasp when he saw the redness of what looked like burns, "It's going to be OK Probie, just… you need to stop touching your face." He held both Tim's hands in one of his before placing a call to dispatch, "This is Special Agent DiNozzo, I'm outside the NCIS building on the Navy Yard. I need an ambulance to my location and the Yard needs to be locked down, nobody in or out but that ambulance!"
"An ambulance is being requested," the calm voice on the other end told him, "You don't have the clearance level to lockdown the Yard, Agent DiNozzo."
Cursing under his breath he cut off the call, knowing that an ambulance was on the way was a start, turning his attention back to his cell phone he pressed speed dial number one and waited.
"Gibbs."
"Boss, McGee's been hurt…"
"Where are you?" Gibbs may come across as a hard ass but he didn't need to hear anything more to start moving, grabbing his gun and putting it in his holster. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ziva doing the same.
"We're outside the front of the building, at the corner near the parking lot."
"We're on our way."
"Wait, the Navy Yard needs to be locked down, dispatch said I don't have the clearance…"
"Just stay with McGee," replied Gibbs, hanging up. He immediately dialled again and this time the authorisation to lockdown the Yard was accepted.
"Boss is on his way Tim," Tony spoke to his team mate who was now resting against his side, unable to move far because the SFA still had a firm grip on his wrists. Another speed dial and Tony was connected to their ME, "Ducky, I need your help!"
"Anthony, whatever is the matter?" the ME asked as he heard the hint of panic in the voice on the other end.
"McGee was attacked outside the building; a liquid of some sort was thrown in his face. There are burns…"
"I'm on my way Anthony," Ducky pulled the phone from his ear momentarily, "Mr Palmer, get my bag and ensure that I have some sterile saline solution. Tell me where you are lad…"
Tony hung up after telling him, knowing he'd done all he could at that time, "Ducky's on the way too Probie. You're gonna be OK."
"Hurts," Tim didn't seem to be able to manage more than one word at a time.
"I know but helps on the way," Tony didn't know what else to say to keep the younger man calm. Luckily Gibbs chose that moment to appear by his side with Ziva right next to him. Both knelt down next to the two men.
"What happened?" asked Gibbs as he looked at the red face of his agent.
"Boss?"
"Yeah Tim, Ziva's here too."
Ziva placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer support, "It will be alright McGee."
"Jethro!"
"Ducky," Gibbs stood to greet his friend, "Ambulance is on the way."
"Good, now let's have a look at you lad," with the help of Jimmy he joined Tim, Tony and Ziva on the ground, "We need to irrigate your eyes and your face Timothy," Ducky told the injured man as he took his pulse and noted the shallow fast breathing, "We're going to lay you down lad."
Immediately willing hands helped guide Tim onto his back on the ground, if it hadn't been for Ducky warning him Tim was sure he'd have panicked.
"Ziva, can you use this," he handed over another bag of saline solution after wiping a swab gently over Tim's hand, "and pour it slowly over each of his hands. It seems he has contact burns there too and we don't want them getting worse."
"Of course Ducky," Ziva took the bag and gently moved both of Tim's hands so that they were together over one side of his body, "I need you to leave your hands there Tim," she instructed him as she started to pour the liquid over his reddened hands.
"Tony," Gibbs nodded his head to indicate to his SFA that he wanted to speak to him and reluctantly Tony stepped away and told his boss what had happened, even though he didn't actually see who had thrown the liquid at McGee.
"Timothy, I have sterile saline solution here, Mr Palmer and I are going to hold open your eyelids and use it to start washing out your eyes and your face, alright?"
"'K."
"Good lad, Mr Palmer…"
Tim felt both his eyes being pried open and liquid start to pour in, causing him to blink furiously. The burning sensation became a little less fierce as the solution ran into the corner of his eye and ran across the surface to pour out the other corner and down his temple into his hair. Every few seconds the stream would move so that his face was also being washed. It was far from comfortable but Tim just kept telling himself that this would help.
-NCIS-
Gibbs stood and listened to his SFA telling him what had happened, while keeping a close eye on the group on the ground. He couldn't believe that someone had had the nerve to attack an agent at the Navy Yard, let alone one of his agents. The cell phone on his belt rang and he practically growled as he answered it.
"Gibbs!"
"Agent Gibbs, why the hell is the Navy Yard on lockdown?!" demanded Director Leon Vance.
"McGee was attacked right outside our building, that's why!" he really wasn't in the mood to play nice, not that he ever was really.
"What?"
"Someone threw a liquid in McGee's face as he was leaving the building…"
"Is he alright?"
"Ducky's treating him and an ambulance is on its way."
"What do you need?"
"The security footage needs to be reviewed to see if we can identify who did this."
"I'll get Balboa's team on that right now," the Director assured his Team Leader.
"The Yard needs to stay on lockdown until the person is identified and caught."
"Nobody is allowed to leave or get on the Yard during lockdown. I'll contact the gate and smooth the way for the ambulance."
"Good, let me know if Balboa's team come up with anything from the security footage," he closed his cell without waiting for a response.
"Boss, someone needs to tell Abby," Tony pointed out, "I'm surprised she hasn't called…" Gibbs' phone rang again and he turned the display for the SFA to see before answering.
"Abby."
"Gibbs, what's going on? What's happened? I can't leave the lab!"
"That's what being on lockdown means Abs."
"Why are we on lockdown? Is everyone OK?"
"Stay in the lab and I'll come to you as soon as I can," Gibbs ignored the questions.
"But…"
"Abby!" it was unusual for Gibbs to lose his temper with the Goth, but he had an agent down and he wanted to make sure he was taken care of before he had to deal with what he was sure was going to be an emotional outburst, "Stay in the lab!"
"Gibbs!"
"I mean it Abs!" he hung up and turned his attention back to the rest of the team, "How's he doing Duck?"
"He needs a hospital Jethro," replied Ducky, still using a bag of saline to irrigate Tim's eyes.
Gibbs was about to reply when his cell rang again. The Team Leader smothered the urge to throw the damn thing against the wall of the building and answered, he paused to listen before thanking whoever was on the other end and closing it again, "Ambulance is just being cleared through the gate."
"Good."
Gibbs leaned over Ducky and spoke to his agent, "How you doing Tim?"
"Fine," the reply was less than convincing given the clenched teeth it was said through.
"That's good, 'cos you don't have permission to be anything else. You hear?"
"Yes… Boss."
"Ducky will go to the hospital with you. The rest of us are going to stay here and get the son of a bitch that did this. We'll come to the hospital as soon as we can."
"OK."
Any further conversation was prevented as the ambulance pulled up and two medics jumped out. It didn't take them long to start an IV so that they could administer some fluids and pain relief, then they hooked their patient up to some oxygen, placed him on a gurney and loaded him in the ambulance.
"Call when you know anything," Gibbs told Ducky as he watched the older man climb in the back.
"Of course Jethro, give this to Abigail; it's the swab I took from Timothy's hand. Perhaps she can tell us what was used." Ducky nodded and the doors closed.
Ziva, Tony, Gibbs and Palmer stood and watched the ambulance pull away, hoping that Tim really would be alright.
-NCIS-
Doctor Rebecca Lambert was on duty in the ER when Agent Timothy McGee was wheeled in. She sighed as she directed the EMT's to a trauma room.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Someone threw an unidentified liquid in Agent McGee's face. It's caused burns to his face and eyes as well as some burns to his hands," replied one of the EMTs who then also listed off Tim's vitals and what he'd been given to help.
"Alright let's move him over," instructed Doctor Lambert.
"Just going to slide you over to the ER's bed Tim," the other EMT told his patient, who merely nodded in response, "He startles easily," he told the doctor.
"Hardly surprising," stated the doctor as she waited for the EMTs to withdraw and she turned her attention back to her patient, not even noticing the older man still in the trauma room, "Tim, its Doctor Lambert, how's the pain on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst?" she asked, needing to assess his awareness as well as his pain level.
"Seven," the response was quick and quiet.
"Alright," she turned to one of the nurses and ordered more pain medication, "I'm going to tell you what we're going to do before we do it and then talk you through it, alright?"
"OK… is Ducky still here?"
"I'm still here lad," Ducky was quick to reassure before Doctor Lambert could answer.
"I didn't see you there, sorry," Doctor Lambert nodded a greeting.
"Not a problem, your attention was where it should be," he nodded towards Tim.
"Well why don't you step over here and stand with Tim," she suggested.
"Of course," Ducky came and stood near the foot of the bed, out of the way of the medical staff but close enough to place his hand on Tim's leg so he'd know he was there, "You're doing fine Timothy, just let Doctor Lambert do her job."
"First thing, we're going to get you out of your clothes and get a hospital gown on you," she nodded towards a nurse who talked Tim through the removal of his clothes, which were placed in a bag. She then talked him through a check of his airway and his other vitals, securing a nasal cannula to help maintain his oxygen levels. "Now I'm going to test the pH of your eyes, face and hands, do you understand what that means?"
"Yeah. Testing whether the liquid was alkali or acid."
"That's right," she took what she needed and carried out the test, talking Tim through everything she did. It was disconcerting for patients to not be able to see what was going on and she didn't want to cause Tim further stress.
"My assistant, Mr Palmer, and I started irrigating his eyes and face while a team mate used saline solution on his hands as soon as we could, probably no more than five minutes after the incident," Ducky informed her.
"That's good, reduces the chances of any permanent damage," she mumbled as she looked at the pH, "Alright, the liquid was an acid…"
Tim took a sharp intake of breath at hearing that. If he lost his sight then he'd no longer be able to work at NCIS. All his skills revolved around being able to see what he was doing.
A hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed, "That's actually a good thing Tim. Alkalis are more dangerous and tend to cause more damage than acids. At the moment the pH is three and we need to get that to around seven point five to neutralise the acid. We're going to use a Morgan Lens system to make this easier. Basically it's a small disc with a tube attached, we've got an IV bag of Lactated Ringers solution attached to the tube and we've already got a flow rate going so it will start to irrigate straightaway. First I'm going to apply a topical ocular anaesthetic," she let him know as she was doing this to each eye, "Now I want you to look down for me and I'm going to lift your upper lid on your right eye and insert the lens," Tim did as she asked despite not being able to open his eyes properly, "Now look up and I'm going to retract your lower right lid and put the lens in. Good, well done. I'm just going to tape the tube to your forehead and then we'll do the same with the left eye," she talked him through the same procedure and then talked to him as the medi-duct collection system for the outflow was secured to each side. "I'm going to examine your hands and the rest of your face now," she told her patient. The eyes had to be her priority but now that they were being continuously irrigated she could deal with the burns on his hands and face.
"How are you doing Timothy?" asked Ducky gently once the nurses and Doctor Lambert had finished setting up the lens.
"OK. How long will this take?" he asked, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable of experiences.
"The recommendation is two litres of solution per affected eye, so we need to run four litres. We need to ensure that the solution doesn't run out because the lens actually floats on the fluid which is more comfortable for you. Once we're nearing the end of the four litres we'll remove the lens and test the pH. If the pH is around seven point five then you'll be released with topical ophthalmic antibiotics and oral pain medication, if not then we'll continue to irrigate until we get the pH to where it needs to be."
"What are the chances…" Tim gulped, "Of my sight being affected?"
"Doctor Mallard started irrigation almost immediately but you will need to be assessed by an ophthalmologist before we can determine the level or grade of your injury. I'm hopeful that there will be no permanent damage, but as I said…"
"Yeah, I get it," sighed Tim.
"Alright Tim, Nurses Donna and Jim are going to treat your hands. We need to irrigate them as well, but to do it they'll slowly pour some Ringers over each hand. Your hand will sit over a bowl to catch the water and then we'll put burn dressings on them. I'm going to have to do the same to your face, but I'll put some towels around you to catch the flow."
The two nurses took it in turns to speak to their patient making sure he knew which of his hands they would be touching and when. Just a few minutes later he was lying with each of his hands at his sides, resting on the edge of a bowl. Again, it wasn't comfortable but he knew it was necessary.
Tim shivered as the solution ran over his hands and Doctor Lambert immediately requested another blanket and another litre of fluid for his IV, "We need to make sure that you keep warm and keep hydrated," she told him quietly. He simply nodded in response, too exhausted to speak and too scared to sleep.
-NCIS-
"How's McGee?" Balboa asked Gibbs as the man returned to the bullpen.
"He's on his way to the hospital, Ducky's with him. He'll call when they have an update. What ya got?"
"We're just going through the footage around the time of the attack," Balboa replied, "Leading up to it there were no reports of anybody acting suspiciously."
"OK, keep looking, I need to go and speak to Abby."
"Good luck!"
Gibbs huffed in response before he, Tony, Ziva and Jimmy left to go and speak with Abby. Though the others would let the Team Leader tell the Goth they all wanted to be there for moral support. Gibbs entered a code outside the lab lifting the lockdown and entered.
"Gibbs!" Abby threw herself at the older man, "What's going on?" she looked over his shoulder at the other three. "Where are Ducky and McGee?"
"Abby…"
"Is one of them hurt? Both of them? Tell me Gibbs, tell me, tell me…"
"Calm down!" he barked as he put both his hands on her shoulders and held her away from him slightly, "There was an incident outside the building and McGee's been hurt," he ploughed on even as Abby started to tear up, "Someone threw a liquid in his face and it caused burns, Ducky has gone to Bethesda with McGee…"
"Oh my god! Was it an alkali or an acid, what was it?" she demanded, the chemist in her needing answers.
"We don't know. Ducky took a swab before he started treating him," he held it out for her and she quickly took it, having something to do forestalling her tears and hysteria even if only temporarily. "He's going to be alright though, isn't he Gibbs?"
"I didn't give him permission to be anything else Abs," he kissed her forehead, "Call me when you've got results," he walked out turning to Jimmy, "Stay with her."
"Yes Agent Gibbs."
Gibbs and the remaining two members of his team returned to the bullpen, "That went well," Tony mumbled to Ziva.
"Yes, but what will happen when she no longer has something to do? I do not envy Jimmy."
"Balboa!"
"Got a picture of the man who attacked McGee," the other agent responded without hesitation, "We've sent copies to all security teams and agents aboard the Yard."
"Lift the lockdown and have every car and person stopped to ensure that he doesn't get passed us," instructed Director Vance as he came down the stairs to the bullpen.
"They'll need more personnel at the gates for that Director."
"Take your team and join them Agent Balboa."
"Yes Sir," Balboa indicated to his three team members and they all hurried out of the bullpen.
"Gibbs, take your team and go to the hospital."
"Not until we catch this bastard! I told Tim that we'd get him and I'm not leaving until we do!"
Before Director Vance could respond Gibbs' cell rang, "What is it Abs?"
"The liquid was sulphuric acid."
"How easy is that to get?"
"In its purest form, it's not, but you can make it easily enough. Battery acid is approximately thirty five per cent sulphuric acid but the water can easily be removed from it at home to make concentrated sulphuric acid, if you know what you're doing."
"OK Abs. Look Balboa used security footage to get a picture of the man who did this; if I get Tony to forward the picture can you run it through facial recognition?"
"Sure Gibbs," the reply was less than enthusiastic.
"I know you want to see McGee but we need to get this guy…"
"OK," she sighed, "You'll call me if you get any news?"
"The second I hear anything," he hung up the phone and turned to Tony.
"Already done Boss."
Gibbs pressed his speed dial for Ducky and waited for the ME to answer; when he did he told the man what the liquid had been, even though it wouldn't make any difference to the care his agent was receiving. He also wanted an update.
"Boss?" Tony asked once he hung up.
"They're irrigating his eyes and treating the burns on his hands. He'll need to see an ophthalmologist in the next twenty four hours to assess the extent of the damage. We can't do anything for him at the moment so let's get out there and help in the search," ordered Gibbs, nodding at the Director as the three left the bullpen.
In the elevator Ziva turned to Gibbs, "What if this man has already left the Yard?"
"It would be difficult given the lockdown was initiated only moments after it happened," pointed out Tony.
"But not impossible," responded Ziva, "If this man has targeted McGee…"
Gibbs cursed and pulled out his cell, "Leon, need a protection detail for McGee."
"I've already sent two agents to Bethesda. I didn't want to take any chances with his safety if by some miracle the perpetrator made it off the Yard."
"Appreciate it Leon," Gibbs hung up and turned back to his two agents, "Director already has it in hand."
-NCIS-
"How the hell did he get off the Yard?!" growled Gibbs. He was stood in the bullpen with the rest of his team; Balboa and his team as well as the Director. The lockdown had been lifted and they'd looked at every person leaving the Yard and searched every car but there had been no sign of McGee's attacker. His cell phone rang sparing anyone from having to answer that question. "Gibbs!"
"I need you to come down to the lab."
"What is it Abs?"
"Just come down," she hung up.
"Abby has something," stated Gibbs as he walked out of the bullpen.
Moments later Abby's lab was full of agents wanting to know what was going on, what she had found.
"I know how he got off the Yard," she told them without any of her usual preamble.
"How?"
"A disguise," she brought up the picture that had been taken from the security camera and enlarged it then pointed to the big screen in her lab, "Look…"
"What the hell?" asked Tony as he moved closer to the screen.
"It's a small tear in the mask that he's wearing," Abby said.
"Mask?"
"Yeah, you can get these really cool, thin masks now, they're made from silicone and they move with the person's face when they wear it."
"That means we have no idea what he looks like!" Tony ran a hand through his hair.
"He's probably wearing contacts so we don't even know his eye colour. An earlier sweep of the Yard produced the bottle that was used to carry the sulphuric acid, but there were no prints on it. The guy was wearing gloves."
"It is a guy though, right?"
"Yup, I pulled back the image and there are no signs of any female features. This guy is six foot tall and weighs in the region of one hundred and eighty pounds, but that's just an educated guess."
"We need to find out where a mask like that can be bought," ordered Gibbs.
"He may have made it Gibbs, we don't know that he bought it," Abby reminded the Team Leader.
"That's true, but if we can track down where makes these masks we'll be able to find out what sort of skills and equipment are needed. If he did make it himself we might be able to track him through his equipment," Balboa wasn't giving up on finding this guy. He'd injured a good man; a good agent.
"Agent Balboa I want your team looking into that angle. Agent Gibbs, go to Bethesda, see your agent."
Ziva, Tony, Abby and Jimmy, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, all looked at Gibbs, hoping that he would agree. They all wanted to catch this guy, but none of them had set eyes on Tim for hours now and they wanted to see for themselves how he was doing.
Gibbs paused to think about it. He wanted this guy so badly he could taste it, after all one of his agents, his family, had been injured and he wouldn't rest until he'd been caught; however the Yard had been cleared and Balboa's team were perfectly capable of carrying out the search for the masks so he could take the time to check on Tim, check on his protection detail while he was there too, "OK, let's go. You'll call if you find anything?"
"Of course Gibbs, go check on your boy," Balboa told him, "Let us know how he's doing."
"Meet in the parking lot in five minutes," Gibbs instructed the four he knew would be going to the hospital as well. Jimmy would need to retrieve his things from autopsy and Abby would need to shut down her machines.
Just over five minutes later Gibbs was driving Abby and a very nervous Jimmy while Tony and Ziva followed in another car.
-NCIS-
"Not much longer now lad," Ducky was sitting by Tim's bed, his hand on the younger man's arm, offering comfort and reassurance as much as possible.
"What's the time?" Tim's tone was one of a tired man who just couldn't relax enough to sleep.
"Nearing midnight."
"Is there something you're not telling me? Should it take this long?"
"Heavens, no Timothy! You know everything that I know. The flow has to be steady and it takes time for the fluid to run. Honestly, it won't be too much longer. The last bag is only about half full."
"Or half empty," Doctor Lambert stated as she stepped into the room, "How are you doing Tim? How's the pain?"
"I'm OK, the pain isn't too bad."
"Well I'm going to top up your pain medication anyway. The best way to keep your pain manageable is to keep on top of it," she told him as she inserted a syringe into his IV port. "You have some visitors, are you up for some more company?"
Tim immediately knew who she was referring to, "Sure."
Not a minute later there was the sound of several pairs of feet as they entered the trauma room which still housed Tim. He'd only be admitted if they couldn't get the pH neutralised.
"Timmy!"
"Abigail…" Ducky's voice held a gentle warning.
It must have worked as Abby settled with just taking his arm and squeezing it instead of giving the rib crushing hug that Tim knew she wanted to, "Hey Abs."
"Whoa, Probie that looks freaky…" Tony was referring to the tubes taped to the younger man's forehead. Anything else he was going to say was broken off by the familiar sound of a head slap, "Thanks Boss."
"Hello McGee, how are you feeling?"
"Hi Ziva, the pain is a lot better since they started irrigating my eyes…"
"Plus they've been giving him regular pain relief," supplied Ducky.
"Did you get him?"
"Why don't you four take Ducky and get something to drink," said Gibbs.
"I want to stay with Timmy."
"Boss, we only just got here."
"It wasn't a suggestion DiNozzo."
"Yes Boss," replied Tony, a little petulantly.
"Come on Doctor Mallard, we'll see if we can find you some tea," Jimmy said to his mentor.
"I'll be back shortly Timothy," he squeezed Tim's arm once more before leaving him with Gibbs.
"Boss?"
"No Tim, we didn't get him," he then proceeded to tell his agent about the disguise, "Did you see anything, did he say anything?"
"He just called my name. I turned but there were several men in the vicinity and I didn't recognise any of them. The next thing I know there's a liquid being thrown in my face and its burning!" Tim's breathing had started to get faster as he spoke.
"It's alright Tim, you're going to be fine, just take some deep breaths for me," Doctor Lambert had appeared out of nowhere.
"Sorry…"
"You've got nothing to be sorry about McGee," Gibbs assured him.
"I should think not," Ducky had returned cup of tea in hand.
"I think it's time to check the pH in your eyes Tim."
"I'll be just outside with the others McGee," Gibbs told him as he headed out of the room.
"The process works the same as putting the Morgans lens in, just in reverse. I'll talk you through it and Jim is going to help me," Doctor Lambert told him, letting him know that there was someone else in the room. It only took a few minutes for the lens to be removed and the pH to be tested, "Excellent, the pH is back within normal range at seven point three. That will do nicely."
"Does that mean I can go home?"
Doctor Lambert chuckled, "I need to arrange an appointment with one of our ophthalmologists, write up a prescription for some antibiotic eye drops and pain relief. While I do that Jim will put an eye patch on each of your eyes."
"Eye patches? Seriously?" groaned Tim.
"Yes Tim. Your eyes have been through a lot, they need rest, not you trying to use them. An eye patch will ensure they get that rest. When you see the ophthalmologist tomorrow they will decide how long you need to use the eye patches for."
"Tony's going to have a field day!" Tim grumbled.
Ducky smiled and patted Tim's arm, "It's for the best Timothy. Now will you be alright with Jim while I go and speak to Jethro?"
"Yeah, sure," the nurse had been in and out throughout Tim's treatment and he felt comfortable with him and knew that Ducky wouldn't be far away.
-NCIS-
"Alright Tim, we're here," Abby told her friend as she opened the car door and ran round to open his. With Ducky's help she guided him out so that he didn't hit his head. Then Ducky and Abby walked with him to the front door, guiding him up the steps using both their hands and verbal instructions. Jimmy and Gibbs followed slowly behind.
Tim was extremely tense. Not only couldn't he see where he was going but he was unfamiliar with the location, or at least less familiar than he was with his own apartment. He'd tried to argue with Gibbs that he would be fine back at his own place, but the Team Leader had vetoed that idea immediately and sent Tony with Ziva to collect some things for Tim who would be staying with him. It wasn't just the fact that Tim couldn't see right now, it was also that the man who did this was still out there. They didn't know who it was or what motive he had for doing it and there was no way that Gibbs was going to leave Tim unprotected. The two agents that had been at the hospital had followed in their car and were now checking the perimeter before taking up guard duty at the front and back doors.
"Abs, take him upstairs and settle him in my room…"
"I'll be fine on the couch!" insisted Tim.
"You're injured and you will sleep in a proper bed Tim, the ensuite bathroom will also make it easier for you," Gibbs had thought long and hard about whether going upstairs would be a good idea, but there was only a toilet downstairs so he'd have to tackle them sooner or later. It seemed that it would be better to get it over and done with; once he was upstairs he could stay up there until after his shower.
Abby guided Tim over to the stairs and placed his hand on the banister and then stood on the other side taking one stair at a time. The frustration was building and Gibbs knew it was only a matter of time before Tim exploded and he planned to tackle it before that happened but first he wanted to get Tim settled.
Shortly after Abby had helped Tim upstairs Ziva and Tony arrived with a bag of his things and Jethro the dog in tow.
"Ziva take the mutt and introduce him to the agents on duty, I don't want him going for them when he doesn't recognise them. Tony, take the bag upstairs to my room." Gibbs followed Tony intending to chase Abby out so that Tim could get changed and into bed.
"Hey, McPirate!" Tony had been dispatched to get McGee's things before the younger man had been discharged and hadn't seen him.
"Tony…" Abby was about to tell the SFA off when his head shot forward and again the familiar sound of a head slap rang out.
"Thanks Boss," Tony said as he rubbed the back of his head. That had been harder than earlier, "Got your things McGee," he stated as he dropped the bag on the bed.
"Thanks Tony," mumbled Tim.
"Abby, Tony downstairs," ordered Gibbs.
"I was gonna help Timmy change…"
"Abs, downstairs, don't make me repeat myself again!"
"Fine," she huffed, planting a kiss on Tim's cheek before getting off the bed and leaving the room.
Gibbs went to the bag and unpacked it as Tim sat quietly on the bed, brooding. The Team Leader waited patiently for what he knew was coming and wasn't disappointed.
"What if I lose my sight?" the question was quiet and full of fear.
"Doctor Lambert thought that was unlikely Tim, but if it happens then I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it."
"We? We? There is no we," scoffed Tim angrily, "If I lose my sight or it's even impaired I lose my job! One that I love. It's me this affects, not you or Tony or Ziva! I won't even be able to get a job working with computers if I can't see the damn screen!"
Gibbs stopped what he was doing and walked quickly over to the bed and administered a gentle head slap, "You really think that little of this team, that it won't affect us? Damn it McGee you've been with us for years, of course it would affect us if you couldn't work with us anymore!"
"You'd just get another computer tech or use someone from Cyber Crimes," Tim knew he was being unfair, that his place on the team was more than just being the tech guy, though some days it didn't feel like it, but he was scared out of his mind right now and lashing out at the only person currently in the room.
"I don't want another computer tech McGee! None of the techs working for NCIS have your field experience. Yes I need you to do the computer stuff but I also need you out in the field! Whether you believe it or not you're an important member of this team and if you can no longer do the job then it affects everyone on this team from me right through to Ducky and Palmer!"
"I don't know how to do this. I can't spend my life in darkness when I rely on my sight so much for everything, including my job!"
Gibbs sighed and sat down next to his youngest agent, "I know you're scared Tim, but you can't start to think like that. You need to wait to hear what the ophthalmologist says tomorrow," He glances at his watch, "Well today actually, but you can't make decisions until you know what you're dealing with." A quiet knock at the door interrupts them, "Yeah," barks Gibbs.
"It's just me Jethro, I have Timothy's medication," states Ducky as he opens the door and steps through, pushing it closed behind him.
"It'll be OK Tim," Gibbs squeezed his shoulder and got up from the bed, "Whatever happens we'll be there with you. We've got your six."
"I know, thanks Boss. Sorry for, well you know…"
"Nothing to be sorry for Tim. You're scared and angry, I get that. Take your pills and get some rest."
"Here you are Timothy," Ducky took Tim's hand and placed a couple of tablets in it, "There's pain medication and a light sedative to help you sleep."
"I don't need a sedative Ducky," Tim told the ME.
"Nonsense, dear boy. You've had a traumatic day and need some proper rest. I know you and if you don't have some help that brain of yours will kick in and you'll never sleep."
"Take the sedative McGee. I'll make sure you're up in plenty of time for your appointment."
"OK," he really was exhausted but Ducky was right, the moment he was alone his brain would start to go through all the scenarios and as Gibbs had already said he needed to wait and see what the specialist said later. He swallowed the pills and then both Ducky and Gibbs helped him get ready for bed. By the time he had gone through the motions the sedative was starting to take affect and he was grateful to crawl under the covers.
"Night Timothy, shout out if you need anything."
"Are you staying Ducky?"
"Of course I am Timothy, now sleep."
"Night Ducky, Boss."
The two older men watched as sleep took over their charge and then slipped out of the room leaving the door slightly ajar so they could hear him if he got up.
-NCIS-
Tim groaned as he woke, automatically putting up his hands to rub his eyes. Of course two things stopped that, the dressings on his hands and the eye patches covering his injured eyes, he supposed he should be grateful that the doctor hadn't insisted on dressing the burns on his face, he'd have looked like a mummy! It was the moment that the previous day's events came crashing back down, reminding him what was to happen later that day.
Carefully he swung his legs over the edge of the bed to sit up, making sure that he was sitting on the right side of the bed before standing up and putting a hand out. Bedside table, check. A few steps forward, dresser, check. A few more steps the door to the bathroom, check. He sighed in relief as he recalled Gibbs showing him how to find the bathroom, glad that the man had taken the time. With minimal fuss Tim found the sink and the toothbrush and toothpaste that Gibbs had left next to it. Using his fingers he found the head of the toothbrush and squeezed a small amount of toothpaste onto it. It was strange to find it so difficult to do something so normal. Next he found the toilet and took care of the pressure in his bladder.
"Timothy?"
"Be right out Ducky," he called back as he returned to the sink to wash his hands.
"Ah, how are you this morning lad?"
"I'm OK Ducky. What's the time?"
"Just after ten."
"Wow I slept late," responded Tim as he was normally up, even on a day off, by eight in the morning.
"Well we didn't get in until gone one this morning. Do you want to take a shower?"
"I'd love to," he could still smell the antiseptic of the hospital on his skin.
Ducky chuckled, "Alright let's get you set up then."
The two men entered the bathroom, with Ducky guiding Tim this time. The ME then took the time to place all of Tim's things within reach and in a certain order, telling him where they were and how to locate them without the benefit of his vision. The dressings on his hands made him a bit clumsier but Ducky had insisted he keep them on and he'd change them once Tim had finished. Once Ducky was satisfied Tim had all he needed he left the bathroom but stayed in the bedroom so that he was nearby if the other man got into difficulty.
Tim was relieved to have managed a shower by himself, more or less. It had taken longer than normal but it was a good feeling to accomplish something that last night had been a worry. The simplest things now seemed like a daunting task to Tim. He stood in the bedroom and found the clothes that Ducky had put out for him, heading back downstairs after changing the dressings on his hands and the eye patches, to give the younger man some privacy as he dressed.
Once again Tim's sense of touch came into play, using the tips of the fingers that weren't covered with dressings to find the label on the t-shirt so he knew he wasn't putting it on back to front, wouldn't Tony just love to tease him about that! The trousers were a pair of jeans, he could tell from the thick material as he found the waistband and located the zip and button. Sitting on the bed he pulled the jeans on and then found his socks. These were a little more difficult and he had to twist one of them round once it was on, realising that the heel was in the wrong place. Standing up he then did his jeans up and ran his fingers through his hair, not able to see what it looked like he found he really didn't care, though luckily it was short enough that it didn't really matter too much. Satisfied that he was dressed and knowing that a pair of his shoes were downstairs he headed out the bedroom door, moving with his hand on the wall until he came to the opening that indicated the stairs.
"What the hell are you doing?" growled Gibbs from down below him, startling Tim.
"Jethro! For heaven's sake don't scare the poor boy!" chided Ducky passing him and going up to meet Tim.
"He should have called for one of us, he could have fallen down the stairs Duck!" Gibbs justified.
"That's as may be but scaring him when he's standing at the top isn't the best idea!" Ducky turned to Tim.
"I was just about to call you Ducky," Tim told the ME as he placed a hand on his elbow to help guide him down the stairs.
"Maybe it would have been prudent to call for one of us before you got to the top of the stairs lad. Jethro's right, you could easily have fallen."
"Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking," he shrugged his shoulders.
"Quite alright lad, no harm done," Ducky told him as he guided him into the kitchen and settled him at the table.
It was quiet while the three men had breakfast. Gibbs and Ducky had both insisted that the others stayed away until after Tim's appointment so as not to overwhelm him, there had been protests but in the end they had agreed, albeit reluctantly. The silence remained as they got ready and left for the hospital to meet with the ophthalmologist, the agents on protection detail for the day following closely behind.
-NCIS-
Tim sat in the doctor's office with Gibbs and Ducky waiting for the ophthalmologist to come and tell him what the outcome of the visit was. He had known the moment the eye patches were removed that he could see, though his vision was extremely blurred. The question now was would his vision improve or was he stuck with only seeing those blurry images for the rest of his life.
"Alright Tim," Doctor Spencer slid into the chair behind his desk, "I'll cut to the chase. All the tests I've done show that you have a grade two injury. There may be a small amount of scarring but you should recover full vision in time."
"No vision loss?" Tim could hardly believe what he was hearing.
"None. You need to continue with the antibiotic eye drops and I need to see you again in a week. I expect you to rest your eyes though Tim. Just because you won't lose any vision you are still recovering from an ocular chemical burn. No reading, at all. No watching television. Don't do anything that will strain your eyes. In fact I want you to continue to wear the eye patches for today," he walked round the desk and started to put a fresh pair over Tim's eyes, "only remove them when it's time to put in the eye drops, though you can take them off before going to sleep tonight."
"And tomorrow?"
"See how things go. If your eyes start to hurt then replace the eye patches, it's a sign that you're doing too much with them and they're straining. The natural thing is to use our eyes unless they're covered; you need to build back up to using them all day. It's the same as if you've broken a bone, it takes time for it to heal and for you to be able to use it fully again."
"How long before I can return to work?"
Doctor Spencer rolled his eyes at the question, "It depends on how your eyes are healing Tim, I'll know more when I see you next week, but you can count on being out of the office for at least two weeks."
"Two weeks? I can live with that," he nodded. It wasn't that long ago that he'd thought he might never be able to return to work, two weeks seemed like a small price to pay.
"At least two weeks!" cautioned Doctor Spencer, "Any more questions?" he asked, when there were none he smiled, "Good, I'll see you in a week, make the appointment on your way out."
"Thanks Doctor Spencer."
Gibbs and Ducky both shook the doctor's hand before leading Tim out to make his appointment for the following week.
-NCIS-
Tim walked off the elevator into the orange walled bullpen. He had to admit he'd never thought he'd be pleased to see that colour, but when you had spent even just a few hours worrying you might not see it again it was a relief to be able to take in the less than appealing, in his opinion at least, colour.
"Hey Probie, welcome back!" greeted Tony as he walked past the older man's desk.
"Thanks Tony," McGee gave him a warm smile and then sat at his desk and turned on his computer. He had been away for three weeks in the end, but his eyes and hands had healed fully, much to his delight.
"It is good to see you back McGee," said Ziva as she walked over and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush.
"Timmy!" Abby came rushing into the bullpen, pulled him out of his seat and enveloped him in a crushing hug.
"Hey Abs, you only saw me last night!" laughed Tim.
"I know, but that wasn't here!" she told him. She gave him a smile and then held out a stuffed toy parrot she had been holding onto, "This is for you!"
Tim chuckled, he'd been the butt of several jokes thanks to the eye patches, even more so when his left eye healed quicker than his right and he still needed to use one patch for the slower healing eye. He'd taken them all well because he knew it was only temporary, he was sure if the problem had been permanent his attitude would have been different.
"Thanks Abs," he took the parrot and sat it on his desk next to his flat screen monitor.
At that moment his computer finished loading and he could hear the distinct whirr of the CD drive and he immediately glanced over at Tony as music started to blare into the bullpen followed by the words "We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot; Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho! We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot; Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho! Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me!"
"Thanks Boss," Tony's automatic response to the not unexpected head slap made Tim grin.
"Turn that noise off McGee!" Gibbs ordered as he made his way back to his desk, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"On it Boss," he quickly stopped the song from playing but not before he caught several agents in the bullpen laughing. They all knew what McGee had been through and if the young agent could laugh it off then so could they.
"You got your paperwork for me Tim?" asked the Team Leader once he was settled in his chair.
"Yes Boss," Tim walked over and handed several bits of paper over, "Doctor Spencer's letter noting I am once again fit for duty and my fire arms requalification certificate. A copy has already been sent to HR."
"Firearms requalification? I didn't know you had to retake that," Tony spoke up from across the bullpen but slowly got to his feet and made his way, not so casually, across to stand in front of Gibbs' desk next to Tim, "What'd you score?"
"My vision had been impaired so the Director requested that I retake my firearms certificate to finalise my return to work," Tim shrugged, "As for what I scored… none of your business DiNosey!"
"Hey!" Tony wasn't sure what he was objecting to, the fact he hadn't known his younger partner had to retake his firearms test or the nickname.
Gibbs eyed the score, "The practice paid off then," he commented with a sly grin.
"Yeah Boss, it really did, thanks for the help, by the way. You too Ziva."
"It was my pleasure McGee," Ziva quickly saw where this was going and had to bite back a laugh at the look of disbelief on Tony's face.
"Wait… Gibbs and Ziva knew, but not only that, they helped you?!"
"Yeah, they did."
"Why didn't you tell me? I'd have helped."
"Yeah Tony, after you'd teased me mercilessly! I didn't need the extra pressure."
"What was your score McGee?" asked Ziva curiously.
"Two hundred and forty six," Tim replied, a little bit of pride creeping in to his tone.
"No way!" exclaimed Tony, "Let me see that!" He snatched the paperwork out of his boss' hand without even thinking, "That's higher than my score."
Gibbs snatched the paperwork back from his Senior Agent, "Practice DiNozzo, as I said."
"Huh, bet you wouldn't have scored that without Gibbs and Ziva's help," grumbled Tony.
"Actually, we didn't help him with his shooting, he didn't need it," Gibbs told him.
"Then what…?"
"We were merely his method of transportation since McGee was unable to drive himself." Ziva informed him. Tim had been told he wasn't to drive until Doctor Spencer had cleared him.
"In that case… Well done McGee," there was a note of pride in his tone now too; though there was a little bit of resentment for the fact the younger man had beaten his best score of two hundred and forty two.
"Thanks Tony," he smiled at the Senior Agent.
"Next time we're at the firing range I'm so beating your ass!"
"Keep telling yourself that, DiNozzo!" crowed Tim, a big grin on his face.
"That's enough, back to work!" Gibbs ordered. The three agents went to return to their desks but Gibbs called Tim back, "You alright with the detail being removed?"
"Yeah Boss," Tim told him, "There's been no sign of anyone suspicious and Vance can't keep a protection detail on me indefinitely, plus I'm now capable of protecting myself…"
"You were capable before McGee…"
"True, but nobody expected something like that to happen on the Yard, we're more aware now. I think it was just a distraction to stop us getting into those computer files."
"Didn't work though."
"No it didn't, but the guy had no way of knowing I was far enough into breaking the encryption that I could talk someone else through completing it. At least we recovered the savings that belonged to those families."
"Yeah, that we did," Gibbs allowed a small smile before he turned serious again. "Just… be careful. Anything even slightly suspicious, you report it, you hear?"
"Yes Boss."
"Good, now get back to work!"
Tim returned to his desk and started to check through the backlog of emails from where he'd been off. Gibbs leaned back in his chair and looked around at his three agents. Everything was as it should be again.
-NCIS-
A/N: I am not a medical expert and I know nothing about chemical burns or ocular injuries. There was very little I could find on what treatment would follow an injury of this nature once discharged from the hospital, so I couldn't go into lots of details and had to skip forward with a guess at how long it would take to recover... it's fiction so I don't feel too bad! The Morgans Lens however is real and I did research it before writing this chapter. I hope this one was OK for you.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!