A/N: Thanks so much for reading. I haven't felt this good about a story in a long time. I appreciate it very much. Sheila

Chapter 4- A Story of Heroes

"His short term memory is shaky. The smoke inhalation was severe. Are you sure you're a friend? You're not on the list."

The big man nodded. "I just got back from Afghanistan last night. Heard about it this morning. I just want to sit with him for a few minutes."

The nurse frowned. "It's his first day off the ventilator. We have to keep him calm."

"It'll be fine." The man settled into a chair. She looked at him once more before retreating.

He waited until the door closed and then he turned to the sleeping man. "Agent McGee. Agent McGee."

McGee blinked eyes open and stared at the man.

"They say you don't remember things."

McGee frowned and looked around the room. He croaked out the words, "Hospital. Two fingers for no."

"Pretty convenient to not remember anything, don't you think?"

McGee looked at him. "I don't know you."

The man shrugged. "How can you be sure? I thought you didn't remember things."

He concentrated. "Not a nurse. A doctor?"

"A father, McGee. I'm Maggie's father."

McGee shook his head. "Who is Maggie?"

His eyes reddened. "My child."

McGee's breathing quickened. "What happened?"

"She's gone." The words seemed strangled and the man swallowed hard. He pulled out a photo. "This is her."

McGee took the photo. He studied her solemn little face- the dark eyes and curly hair.

"She looks like me- not her mother. She was…different. She didn't talk. She… communicated with her hands. I was the best…with her…and then I left." The man rubbed his mouth as he struggled with composure.

McGee watched him and whispered hoarsely. "It's okay. I'm a federal agent. NCIS. I have connections. I can help."

The man shook his head. "Is this a game for you?"

"What's your name?" McGee said softly.

"Kevin Martin. Marine Sergeant Kevin Martin. Does that mean anything to you?"

McGee nodded. "That helps. You're a Marine. We can get involved."

Martin dropped his head in his hands and tried to stifle the sounds erupting from his gut.

McGee tried to sit up. "Can I keep this photo? I just need my laptop. I'm going to scan it in, and then I can get to work."

Martin didn't respond.

"I don't remember everything. Am I getting this wrong?"

The door to his room opened and McGee saw Gibbs. He relaxed back into his pillow. "My boss is here. It's okay. He has all the memories we need. Boss, this is…I can't remember…Oh God…this man's name is…Maggie's dad."

Gibbs walked in and took in the scene. McGee handed him the photo. "Maggie is gone. We need to help this man."

"I got this, Tim." Gibbs put his hand on Martin's shoulder. "Hey Gunny, I'm Special Agent Gibbs. Let's talk outside."

The man nodded and looked up, his face wet. "I thought…something else was true."

"I know."

McGee tried to rise and rasped. "Let me concentrate. I need my laptop."

"You rest. I have work for you, Tim. I promise. Just close your eyes for a few moments. I'll be back." Gibbs was as soft as he ever got and Tim seemed grateful for a chance to comply.

Gibbs steered Martin out into the hall. The man rubbed his eyes. "He really can't remember, can he?"

"It's getting better, but he was oxygen deprived for quite some time."

"Did he hesitate?"

"What if he did? You've been in combat. You ever hesitate?"

"My wife is fixated on this. She's sure that he could've done more."

"Should we go back in there and look at him again? He look like a guy who walked away from your little girl?"

Martin shook his head.

"By the way, he never hesitated. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and called me. He was back in that house two minutes later. He had a partner in there with a six to watch. He doesn't take that lightly."

"I don't understand why she said what she said."

"Really? This is first time your wife has had a different story than the people around her?"

Martin stepped back. "You trying to say something to me? Seriously? I bury my child in two days and you want to say something about my wife."

"You have four children to protect, Sergeant. Keep your eyes on them at all times. NCIS is taking this case. And trust me, Sergeant, this is a criminal case."

Something changed in Martin's face. He backed away from Gibbs and headed for the elevator at a jog.

Gibbs pushed open McGee's door quietly. His agent was sleeping again. Maggie's picture was on the table beside the bed. His first impulse was to take it away, but he didn't. Remembering the child was integral to McGee's healing. There was no way to protect him from it.

…

Tony rolled over in bed and reached for Zoe. She'd returned from her raid last night, but it hadn't been a sweet homecoming. His viral video was everywhere, and she'd seen it in a hotel room in Houston, Texas. There was a look of betrayal on her face- a feeling that his attempts to protect her had only left her exposed to the shock of discovery. He spooned behind her and rested his face in her hair. "I'm sorry, Zoe."

She opened her eyes and sighed into the pillow. "Just be real with me. I'm not interested in little boys anymore."

"Yeah. Being Peter Pan has lost its magic. I don't know what the end of our story is, but I know that I want to be a serious person in your life."

"I could've been here. The raid didn't depend on me."

"Noted."

She turned to face him and smiled. "How did you sleep?"

"My knee aches like a son of a you know what."

She slipped out of his arms and onto her feet. "Let me get you some ice for it. Let's elevate it. It looked pretty nasty last night. You're going to need to nebulize every two hours. We should start now."

"Zoe," he groaned. "I'm not a little boy, remember?"

"The jury is still out on that," she said returning with an ice pack. "And you're going to nebulize. You have scarred lungs. You want COPD by the time you're 50? Don't push your luck, Tony."

"You're sexy when you're bossy," he said. Then she pushed a pillow under his swollen knee and he yelped. "Maybe not."

There was a sharp knock on the door. Zoe jerked her head. "It's 7 a.m. Who is going to show up at this time of the morning?"

"Gibbs," Tony said and then he shouted. "Be there in a minute, Boss! Zoe's naked!"

Zoe cursed at him as she pulled sweatpants on and jogged to the door simultaneously. She pulled it open. "Sorry Gibbs. He's a child."

"We established that on the phone when he didn't let you know what happened. Believe me, if I didn't accept the fact I was part daycare provider, I would've bounced him years ago."

Tony lifted his head. "How's McGee?"

"Delilah said he had a rough night. Nightmares. It's actually a good sign. Probably memories trying to resurface."

"Poor guy. I should be there."

"No, you shouldn't. You should be in bed using that air machine. Why aren't you dong that?"

"Well, I woke up two minutes ago, Boss."

Gibbs turned to Zoe. "Every two hours. Let me know if you need backup."

"I'm ATF, Gibbs. I got this. I've cleared the week so I am on DiNozzo duty full time."

Gibbs sat on the bed. "What do you remember about the mother?"

Tony sat up. "Is it a case? Is it ours?"

"Nothing is ours until you start breathing on that machine."

"Please shut up about the nebulizer, and talk to me."

Gibbs shook his head. "What do you remember? Go through it with me again."

Tony closed his eyes. "Black smoke. McGee with 911. The front door was unlocked. Mom was lying on the couch- like she was sleeping. We rousted her. I told McGee to get her out and headed for the stairs."

"Any other memories of her in the house?"

He shook his head. "The next time I saw her I was on the ground looking up at the sky."

"Firefighters pulled you out. You were in and out of consciousness."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "It was weird. Her face was clean. Everywhere there was soot, but her face was clean- scrubbed."

Zoe winced. "My five kids are in a house fire, and I find a sink to wash up? I don't think so."

"No," Tony said. "Her face was scrubbed."

"Good," Gibbs said. "That didn't happen at her house. She had to go to a neighbor's. We'll look at that. Anything else?"

"Low affect. I thought she was in shock…And she came to my hospital room."

Gibbs frowned. "I didn't know this."

"I was out of it. She stood there, looking fresh. Again, I remember how clean she looked. When I think of her, I think clean and fresh."

"Grieving parents are disheveled, unorganized. What did she say to you?"

Tony squeezed his eyes closed. "It made no sense. She said that she couldn't stop the kid and that I was the hero."

"What?"

"I know. I thought it was a dream."

"You're sure it wasn't."

"She was in my room and she was…frustrated because I was…going to be the hero." Tony put up a finger. "At the press conference…remember how she waited until I was front and center and then she came at me with the hug. Weirdest thing."

"Staged. Everything about this has been staged. She likes control. Somehow, the rest of us failed to cooperate. You ended up the hero. Was she supposed to be?"

"No." Tony's eyes suddenly watered. "No. I was there. No one does that to their kids. I was up there with them. They were terrified. No one does that. Who does that?"

Gibbs put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Tony. You know monsters exist. How long have you been doing this?"

"We don't do the kids, Boss. We never have to do the kids." Tony rubbed at his eyes.

Zoe leaned in and touched his wet face. "I got him, Gibbs. We're going to have some coffee and eggs, and then we're going to breath on the machine every two hours. You go work this. We need to know that this is being worked. Okay?"

Gibbs squeezed his shoulder. "I'll call you in a few hours, Tony. We're on this. I promise you."

…..

Delilah bent over her phone texting furiously. McGee was gently snoring in the bed, and she was grateful for the respite. Awake, he was agitated, struggling to remember things. Disjointed pieces had been emerging, but they didn't mean much without connections. Instead, they were traumatic bits of time without context. This morning he'd woken from a nightmare with memories of the smoke and confusion. It was a good sign, but it hurt Delilah to see him so distressed.

The door to the hospital room opened gently and Abby peeked her head in. Delilah turned her head and smiled. "Come in sister from another mister."

Abby noted his sleeping face and walked in quietly, putting a tote on one chair and sitting in another.

McGee moaned and stirred. "Abbs."

She leaned forward. "How did you know?"

"Patchouli body wash. You've been wearing it since the day I met you." His voice had progressed from a whisper to a squeak.

Abby looked at Delilah who shook her head. "Long term memory. We don't get excited about those. Only the short term memories."

McGee sat up. "Where's her picture? Her picture was on the table. Who took her picture?"

Delilah nodded. "Now that's a good sign. Tim, who's picture are you looking for?"

"Ma…Ma…Maggots?"

"Small victories," she sighed. "What was on the picture, Tim?"

He closed his eyes. "A little girl…with brown eyes."

"Good. Now, would anyone name a little girl Maggots?"

"No," he said. "Let me concentrate. Mag…Margaret? No…um, Mag…Maggie. Maggie? Is it Maggie?"

"Is it?"

"Delilah, please!" He squeaked in frustration.

"Sorry Honey, you need to do the work in order to get better." She pulled the picture of Maggie out of the drawer. "Look at her."

He sighed deeply as he considered the picture. "It is…Maggie."

"Good. What else?"

He bit his lip. "Her father was here. Maggie's dad…and there…was smoke…it was hard to breathe."

She shook her head. "Smoke in a hospital? Tim, you're conflating your memories."

He closed his eyes. "There was a house…and children…Kids huddled under a window."

"Good job, Honey! That's a new one. You can see those kids?"

He concentrated, his breath quickening. "I told Tony…to get them out."

She squeezed his hand. "Good! That's enough, Tim. Little bits. These are hard memories. Abby is here. She's got your favorite game. The one the two of you play almost every night online."

"Hacker?"

"Yeah," she said smiling at Abby. "Dumbest game, but the two of you like it."

"We built it," Abby said. "I brought two laptops."

Delilah kissed the back of his hand. "I have to go out and make some calls."

"Leonard?" McGee asked.

She nodded. "Brilliant analyst but a commitment-phobe when it comes to releasing his work. I have to have a little pep talk with him."

She wheeled to the door and looked back at Abby. "Can I talk to you outside for a bit?"

Abby nodded as she handed McGee a laptop. She followed Delilah out and closed the door behind them. "He's doing good, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Docs think he could recover everything, but there is a lot of trauma in there. It's going to be hard for him to come to terms with her death. You know how deeply he cares about helping people."

"We'll keep it light. I promise."

"One other thing: Gibbs asked us to call him if anyone from the Martin family tries to contact Tim…especially Paige Martin."

Abby narrowed her eyes. "He doesn't think…"

She nodded. "He does."

Abby shivered. "Unbelievable."

"I know. It's gross."

Abby closed her eyes. "I saw an interaction between her and a Marine officer. I didn't think much of it at the time because I was so worried about McGee, but I think Gibbs needs to know. Let me make a quick call before I go back in."

….

TBC