a/n - I've been playing whack-a-troll, the same troll that went after Backfired. If it gets too bad, I may have to limit reviews to only signed ones, but we'll see just how badly she annoys me this time out.

Gibbs wasn't particularly talkative under the best of circumstances, so Ducky wasn't offended by the silence as they drove up toward Pennsylvania. Two hours north of DC the snow on the road was getting heavy enough that Ducky was glad for the silence so that he could concentrate on driving.

Eventually Gibbs shifted and turned to Ducky. "Duck, let me drive, okay?"

"Jethro, I am perfectly capable of driving in poor weather. Did I ever tell you about the winter I spent in..." Ducky glanced over and saw the expression on Gibbs' face. He was a man that desperately needed something to do, something that would keep his attention. "Very well, Jethro. I'll pull off at the next exit and we can top off the tank while we're at it."

-NCIS-

"Bishop, where is Agent DiNozzo?"

She froze, then plastered on what she hoped was a calm expression. "I believe he said something about interviewing a witness, Sir."

"I see. And Miss Sciuto?"

"I don't know, Sir." At least that was an honest answer.

Vance didn't look at all convinced, but he didn't call her on it. "When you hear from him, tell him I need to see him in my office. Miss Sciuto, too, if you happen to see her."

"Of course, Director Vance." She didn't take a deep breath until he was gone.

-NCIS-

Tank filled, Ducky climbed in the passenger side, allowing Gibbs to get behind the wheel, but he didn't hand over the keys right away. "Remember, Jethro, Berwick, not Stillwater."

Much of the talk in Vance's office was a blur, but Gibbs remembered something about Berwick. "They took him to the hospital there?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Gibbs nodded stiffly as he took the keys. Ducky was a little worried at first, but Gibbs drove smoothly, especially considering the condition of the roads. Eventually he was able to pull in behind a snow plow which helped the drive considerably.

-NCIS-

"We could have taken my car. We might have caught up with them by now."

Tony shook his head as he changed lanes. He'd spent the extra money to rent an all-wheel drive rather than a standard car. "Your hot rod really isn't built for driving in this amount of snow, Abs."

She knew he was right, but she still hated the delay. Before she could argue some more, Tony pointed to the laptop she'd brought with her. "I don't think Stillwater has a hospital so do whatever you have to do to figure out where they're going."

"Won't Gibbs go home to Stillwater?"

"Eventually, but he'll go to wherever Jackson's... wherever Jackson is, to say goodbye."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Tony risked taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at her. "If it were my dad, that's what I'd do."

"I guess you're right." Abby stared off into space for a moment before she thought of something. "We should try and call McGee again. He should know."

Tony wasn't sure why she was telling him this as she was the one in the passenger seat. "Driving here, Abs."

It took her a few more minutes, but eventually she pulled out her phone and tried to call McGee. Just like before, it went straight to voice mail. She left him a message to call her back before closing her phone. "I guess he's still in the air."

"Guess so."

-NCIS-

They'd put another fifty miles behind them before Gibbs spoke again, but Ducky could see the question forming in his eyes long before the words came. "Do you know any details about how he... what happened?"

"Not a great deal, I'm afraid." Ducky thought about how best to describe the conversation. "Timothy sounded quite stunned and shaken. He did not want you to hear this over the phone and felt you had the right to be told in private. He... he kept telling me that he tried, he really tried to save him, Jethro."

"I know he did, Duck. McGee wouldn't do anything less."

Ducky was worried about what the guilt would do to McGee. "He was quite distraught that he was unable to save him."

Gibbs got what he was telling him. "I'll make sure he's okay. It's the least..." Gibbs swallowed hard. "I owe him that much."

The rest of the drive was silent until they arrived at the hospital. Gibbs started to pull into the small parking lot attached to the emergency department, then jerked the wheel to continue on to the main lot. He gave Ducky a sad look as he explained. "Not really an emergency anymore, is it?"

"Oh, Jethro." Ducky really didn't know what else to say as they parked and made their way to the main entrance. It was late enough that the front desk was shut down and a sign directed them to the 24-hour desk in the emergency department. Gibbs gave a bitter laugh and let Ducky lead him to the second desk.

The nurse was appropriately sympathetic and let Gibbs know that his father's body was in a small room ready for a private goodbye whenever he was ready.

"Thank you, ma'am." Gibbs looked around, expecting to see McGee. "Do you know where Timothy McGee is, he... he brought my father in."

"Leroy?"

Gibbs turned just as Ed Gantry walked up to him, hand held out. "I'm so sorry about Jackson, he was good people." He pulled Gibbs closer as they shook hands and clapped him on the back in a show of support.

"It was his heart?"

"Yeah, I think so. Your boy was giving him CPR when I got there, didn't stop until we got to the hospital."

Ducky spoke up, becoming concerned. "Where is Agent McGee now?"

"Damn near killed himself trying to save Jackson. They've got him in the back, giving him IV's and monitoring him pretty close. Might have a cracked rib or two, haven't heard what the x-ray showed."

Gibbs had never dreamed that there had been any sort of risk for McGee. "I don't understand. What happened?"

Ducky steered them toward a group of chairs in a nearby corner and Ed waited until they were all sitting down before he started to explain.

"You sure you want to hear all of this?"

Gibbs just nodded, hands tightly gripping the arm rests on the chair.

"Okay, near as I could figure, your man was out shoveling the sidewalk and the driveway. He was wearing Jackson's heavy coat and most of the snow had been cleared. Your dad collapsed in the living room and Tim apparently got to him quick, probably within seconds. Dropped his phone on the floor so he could call 911 and start the CPR at the same time. Boy didn't even stop long enough to take off the coat."

Ducky took a deep breath, suspicious as to what had felled McGee, but he remained silent as the Sheriff continued to explain. "He was alone with Jackson, handled the compressions and the breathing all by himself."

"You mean until the ambulance arrived."

Gantry shook his head. "Sorry, Leroy. The ambulance crashed and didn't make it. By then, there was a big pile up on Interstate Eighty and every ambulance in three counties was there. It had already been about thirty minutes, you understand, but Tim wouldn't give up. He was still working on your dad when I got there, refused to give up." Ed closed his eyes for a moment as he remembered.

"We used a tarp to carry him out to my truck, got him in the back and Tim started right back with the CPR. Didn't miss a beat. Other than the thirty or forty seconds it took to get Jackson in the truck, he didn't stop until we were here at the hospital and the medics took over. Not when we slid off the road, not when we slammed into the bridge and not even when the cabinet of emergency gear in my truck tipped over and landed on him. This time of the year, it didn't even dawn on me when he stopped sweating.

"Hell, Leroy, I didn't even realize the kid was in trouble until after we'd been here for a while. I thought he was just a little overheated, you know."

Ducky was pretty sure he knew what happened. "His core body temperature continued to rise, I am assuming. He sounded very upset and traumatized when I spoke to him on the phone, but it was more than that, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, his phone got left back at the house and he had trouble remembering your number. Heck, with the phones nowadays and their programmed numbers, I think we all do, so I didn't think too much about it. When he ended the call, he just hit the ground."

"But he's going to be all right?"

"Guess we're going to find out." Gantry pointed out a doctor coming towards them. As soon as he was close enough to talk, Gantry made the introductions. "Jethro, this is Dr. Owens. He tried to save your dad, and now he's taking care of Tim."

"Mr. Gibbs?" Owens shook his hand. "I am so sorry for your loss, we did everything we could."

"Appreciate that, Doc. Sounds like you've had your hands full here today."

"It's been different, I must admit. Agent McGee will be glad to hear you've arrived. Maybe that will help him calm down. I'm afraid he's taking your father's death very personally."

Gibbs had been afraid of that ever since he'd heard the story. "I'd like to see him, he's going to be okay, right?"

"We've got his core temperature back down close to normal and he's been given fluids. X-rays showed no broken bones, but he's got some nasty bruises forming. I was going to admit him overnight for observation, but he became quite agitated at the suggestion. If there's someone that can stay with him for the next day or two, then I'd feel better about releasing him."

"He'll be with me."

Ducky had been planning on volunteering, but Gibbs had jumped in before Ducky could even open his mouth. Once he thought about it for a second, Ducky realized that it was a better option. Only Gibbs could get through McGee's guilt and Jethro needed to be doing something right now and taking care of the younger man was an excellent option.

Dr. Owens apparently thought so too. "Then I'll authorize his release as long as this last round of tests comes back clean. We just did a MRI to make sure there's no internal damage. You can sit with him while I review his results."

"Thank you. I'd also like to see my father."

"Of course. Janice can take you back whenever you're ready."

Gibbs nodded at the nurse and stepped forward just as two familiar voices could be heard behind them. He flinched at Abby's loud tone as she was obviously wound up. Ducky glared at them for a moment before turning back to Gibbs. "You go see Timothy, I'll deal with the children."

Gibbs nodded again, this time in gratitude, before following the nurse through the secure doors into the emergency room.

Ducky crossed the room to meet Tony and Abby, arms crossed over his chest and with a glare that would have impressed even Gibbs. "What, exactly, are the two of you doing here?"

Abby was crying again. "But Ducky, Gibbs needs us here. Why didn't he stay? He needs a hug."

"Abigail..."

"But..."

Determined, Ducky put his foot down. "I know Director Vance did not tell you about Jackson. Not in time for the two of you to be here already."

Tony was seeing the error in their plan. "The Boss doesn't want us here, does he?"

"Not yet, Tony." Ducky sighed, remembering how hard this would be for all of them. "Give the man time to process what has happened."

"What did happen, Ducky?"

Ducky directed them to the same row of chairs he and Gibbs had been sitting at earlier. He looked around, but Gantry had subtly slipped away. Grateful for the privacy, Ducky explained what he knew so far.

-NCIS-

Tim was struggling to stand, IV still in his arm, when Gibbs walked through the door. Ignoring the nurse, he quickly stepped close, cupping Tim's face in his hands. "Easy, easy."

"I'm sorry, I tried. I really tried."

Mindful of the line to the IV, Gibbs pulled him closer until their foreheads were touching. "I know, Tim. I know. No one could have done more."

"But it wasn't enough." Tim's voice broke. "Not enough."

"Sometimes it has to be. At least he wasn't alone." This time it was Gibbs' voice that broke. "At least my father didn't die alone."

Gibbs helped Tim back up on the exam table just as Dr. Owens walked back in. "All right, Mr. McGee, I have you test results here and luckily you suffered no permanent damage. I'm going to examine you one last time and then I'll send you home with your friend here."

Giving Tim what he hoped was an encouraging smile, Gibbs stepped back to give the doctor room. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Tim."

Janice was waiting right outside the exam room and led Gibbs down the hall. "Take as much time as you need, sir."

-NCIS-

"DiNozzo still interviewing his witness?"

Ellie jumped at the sound of the Director's voice. "I... I guess so, Director Vance. I haven't heard anything from him."

Suspicious, Vance crooked his finger, indicating he wanted her standing in front of him and she slowly got up of the floor. "Did you hear any sort of discussion between Agent Gibbs and Dr. Mallard before they left"

Staring at her feet, she nodded, but remained silent.

"And what did you do about it?"

"I called Tony and asked him who Jackson was."

"I see. And that is when Agent DiNozzo left to interview his mystery witness?"

"Yes, Sir."

Vance was disappointed, but didn't have the heart to scold her. Instead, he settled for a glare, knowing he'd made his point as she winced. "Go home, Bishop. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"Yes, Sir." She waited until he was part way up the stairs before she asked. "Sir, who was Jackson?"

Surprised that she hadn't figured it out, Vance turned around and went back downstairs. "You didn't research it?"

She shook her head. "I'm still working on the assignment Agent Gibbs gave me before you called him upstairs."

That deflated some of Vance's ire and he spoke softly. "Jackson Gibbs was Jethro's father. He was," Vance couldn't help but smile as he remembered. "Jackson was one of a kind, much like his son."

"I'm very sorry, Director Vance. I wish I'd have gotten to meet him."

"Good night, Bishop." Vance returned to his office to make a necessary phone call.

-NCIS-

The room was dim, lit by only one light near the head of the narrow bed. Gibbs walked slowly across the tile floor to stand next to the man he'd loved and hated for his entire life. Memories of his childhood danced across his mind, hours spent throwing a ball with his dad, sitting on his lap and steering their old truck, sneaking down the stairs to watch his parents dancing together in the living room on New Year's Eve, all moments he hadn't remembered for years.

"Ah hell, Dad, I'm sorry I wasted so many years. I should have been there with you more. I should have been with you today." Gibbs choked back a sob as he lowered his head.