After a sleepless night spent tossing and turning, the image of Sarah's acute fear and distress at his touch filling his mind over and over again, Tim was mind-numbingly exhausted and completely stretched to his limits by the time six in the morning rolled around. Watching his little sister stress out even as she slept had ripped his heart out all over again, leaving him too upset to even find any traces of sleep. As the sun began brightening the room with its rays of golden light, Tim's eyes finally closed of their own and his thoughts finally came to a screeching halt.
Six- fifteen found Tony standing silently in the doorway to his living room, having come to check on his teammate, smiling softly as he watched his little brother actually find the sleep that had evaded him all night. Several times through the long hours, the older man had awakened to the sounds of Tim's tossing and turning and at some points even his restless pacing out in the living room. Knowing it would only add to the guilt under which Tim was already becoming buried; Tony didn't let it be known that he wasn't getting a full night's sleep either. On that thought, Tony walked over to the coffee table and snatched up Tim's phone, immediately putting it on vibrate and taking it to the kitchen where he'd be able to notice any incoming calls without it disturbing Tim's sleep.
Remembering suddenly that the younger man was supposed to be relieving Ziva at Sarah's bedside in less than two hours, Tony stepped back toward his bedroom, opening his phone to make a call as he went. It was time to get an update on how Sarah was doing and time to let Ziva know she'd have to sit tight for a little bit longer than she'd planned. Tim would be pissed; but in the long run, he'd be better off for the sleep Tony was making sure would be undisturbed.
***NCIS***
Ziva was awakened by the vibration of her cell phone where it rested in its case on her hip. Glancing at Sarah while she thankfully slept peacefully on, Ziva carefully extracted herself from underneath the patient and slipped carefully from the bed. Watching patiently for a long minute to be sure Sarah would not awaken now that she was alone in the bed, Ziva padded quietly to the door and beckoned to the nurse still on duty from the previous night's shift. The petite woman was gentle natured and had been the one watching over Sarah's care for most of the night.
"Excuse me. I need to go make a phone call. Would you please sit with Sarah so she will not be alone when she wakes up? She has been through enough of an ordeal without being frightened by waking up alone."
"Certainly, Agent Da'vid." Nurse Kelly replied quietly with an encouraging smile. "I'd be happy to sit with her. We've all seen how well she was able to calm down when you sat with her. None of us will leave her alone. Of that you can be certain."
"Thank you. I must call and update her brother on how she slept through the night."
"That poor young man. I heard about what happened while he was here yesterday."
"It was difficult for him, yes." Ziva agreed. "If you'll excuse me. I will make this as quick as I can."
"That's all right. Take your time. Why don't you go get some coffee or tea while you're up?"
"Thank you. I would very much like to do that. Please, call me if you should need me to come back sooner." Ziva replied as she wrote her cell number down for the woman and left to make her call.
Pulling out her cell phone as soon she reached the doors leading to the outside, Ziva hit the speed dial number for Tony to call him back.
"Hey, Ziva. How is she?"
"Sleeping. Hopefully she will not notice I am no longer sitting with her and continue to sleep as it was a very rough night to start with for her."
"Even after Probie left?"
"Yes. It took some time for the doctors and nurses to understand that Sarah cannot tolerate any man's touch right now. Thankfully, they've been made to understand that, so things should be easier for her. What about McGee? How is he?"
"Sleeping. Kinda why I called you. It's gonna be a while before I wake him up. So you're probably gonna be there for a while longer."
"That is fine. I do not mind staying with her for another hour or two." Ziva replied.
"Not what I meant, Zee. Probie just fell asleep, not even fifteen minutes ago."
"Why? Did something happen to keep him awake?"
"I'm guessing he was just too upset about Sarah and her reaction to his touch. I know I'd be knocked back if my sister reacted to me like that, even if she couldn't help it."
"The phone call from his mother most likely did not help the situation."
"That's for sure. I think you should give the boss the heads up and see what he wants us to do about this. You need sleep and knowing Gibbs, he'll be pissed if he's not updated. He should know that it looks like you're not gonna be able to get away to sleep."
"Very well. I shall call him now. You are right in letting McGee sleep, Tony. Look after him."
"Don't worry. I got him."
Ending that call, Ziva hit another button and did as Tony requested; prepared herself to update Gibbs on everything that had gone on since he'd left the hospital yesterday. This was not a call she was looking forward to making.
***NCIS***
Closing his phone for a long minute, Gibbs stared at it as all of what Ziva had just told him flooded his brain. While he was proud of Tony for making the decisions he'd made for Tim and for Ziva, he couldn't help but continue to feel badly for his youngest agent. Tim had put his entire being – his heart, brain and soul - into trying to stop this situation from happening in the first place and had even come to Gibbs for help with it. The kid had to really be in a bad place for him to have gone off on his mother like that and his reaction to Ziva's question about it sounded like a warning of what was to come. Gibbs knew he needed to be there if and when the McGee's showed up and all hell broke lose
With a deep sigh, the Team Leader opened his phone back up. It was time to call for some reinforcements; for both McGee siblings. "Hey… Gibbs…Need a favor from you….Can you make it this morning? Appreciate it. Noon? I'll be there."
Closing his phone once more, the silver-haired man made a beeline for his coffee pot, desperately needing another shot of the stuff that kept him going. Somehow, he knew it was going to be a very long day. All he could do was be there for his agent and hope like hell that everyone survived the fallout that was coming.
***NCIS***
Nurse Kelly noticed the patient waking up some twenty minutes after Ziva had left to make her phone call. As she watched carefully, the patient seemed to drag herself from the peace-filled slumber she'd found, into the wakefulness that she wasn't sure of, as evidenced by the fear that immediately filled her eyes.
"It's okay, Mrs. Richardson. You're safe here."
Sarah's eyes flew to those of the person who'd spoken to her, surprised to find her sitting next to her bed in the visitor's chair. "Where's Ziva?"
Not missing the panic in the young woman's voice, Nurse Kelly attempted to soothe the fear. "She's updating your brother on how you're doing. He'll probably be here real soon to see you."
"I don't wanna see him." Sarah replied immediately, though her tone spoke clearly of the exhaustion and pain that still held her in their grips.
"Are you certain?" Nurse Kelly double-checked for clarification. Such a decree, while not uncommon, was oftentimes quite hurtful to those excluded from their loved ones recovery process.
"Yes." The patient's tone changed, leaving no doubt that she was serious.
"We'll make sure he's informed of your decision." Her caretaker reassured her.
"Good!" Sarah weakly huffed out as she closed her eyes presumably to go back to sleep.
"Alright breakfast should be here soon." Nurse Kelly promised. "Is there anything else we can do for you while you're waiting for to come around? "
"Just Ziva." Sarah declared mutinously, somehow muscling up the strength to make herself clearly heard that time. In addition to hurting like hell, all over, she felt naked, exposed and much too vulnerable to face anyone by herself right now, even this kindly nurse who'd done nothing but ask how she was doing and try to reassure her that she was safe and it was bringing out the worst in her. Ziva had kept her safe all through the night and it was Ziva she wanted to remain safe with. Ziva wouldn't let anyone hurt her, not even her angry brother.
"I am here, Sarah." Ziva announced as she walked through the door. "You are certain you do not wish to see your brother? He cares about you a great deal and has been quite upset about what has happened."
"I doubt it." The younger woman advised tiredly. "He's just thrilled that he was right and can't wait to throw it back in my face."
"If you truly believe that, Sarah, then you do not know your brother very well. In the four plus years that I have worked with him, I have never seen him so upset as he was when we reached you at the house." Ziva replied as she sat in the chair beside the bed once more. Though she knew Sarah needed to rest; it was important that she understand the truth now; rather than continue to believe something so hurtful about her brother. Once she heard what she needed to be told, Ziva would let her sleep for as long as she could.
"I doubt that." Sarah repeated, adding more disbelief to her voice and the conversation. She was completely unwilling to accept the idea that Tim didn't want anything like this to have happened to her. "You probably just misunderstood the look on his face. Happens all the time 'cause he's so hard to read."
"There was no mistaking what I saw. Without regard for anyone else, he stayed by your side from the moment he saw you. His only words were to you, as he attempted to let you know he was there for you, was that he was sorry. He apologized to you repeatedly. Tell me, does that sound like someone who is happy to have been proven right?"
Sarah looked away from both of the women watching her reaction now. Neither Ziva nor Nurse Kelly missed the tears that slid down the younger woman face.
"Do you not recall how upset he was for you at lunch on Sunday?" Ziva pushed just a little more, wanting Sarah to have more than one example to look to as she thought things through for herself. "When he begged you to call him if you needed him?"
When her question was met with cold silence, Ziva pushed harder, wanting there to be no doubt in Sarah's mind, where Tim's heart lay in this mess. "Tim has even spoken with your mother when she called him looking for you. Your brother was so angry he even blew up at her."
"Winds of war." Sarah whispered as her eyes slid closed and exhaustion pulled her under.
While not understanding what she meant, Ziva recalled that Tim had said the same thing just yesterday. She also knew that the young woman needed some time to think about what she'd just been told. Knowing she'd have to wait for an explanation on what she didn't understand, she decided to do what she thought was best for Sarah. She walked with the nurse toward the door and spoke quietly with her to let her know what would soon be going on with the patient.
***NCIS***
Ziva did not recall closing her eyes but knew she must have at some point after Sarah's breakfast had arrived and the patient had eaten a few bites before falling back to sleep. Ziva opened her bleary eyes, to find someone else in the room with her. Getting to her feet as she mentally shifted gears into preparedness to stand guard over Sarah, she felt herself relax just a bit when she recognized the newcomer. Gibbs had warned Ziva that he'd send someone to relieve her so she could go home and get some sleep, but he had not told her who that replacement would be.
While somewhat surprised at Dr. Cranston's presence, Ziva also felt relief. Maybe now Sarah could begin to get the help she would need to get through this ordeal. Maybe now she would let go of this belief she had that Tim was thinking only of being happy that he'd been right. Stepping over to the far corner of the room with the good psychiatrist, Ziva smiled softly in greeting. "It is nice to see you again. I am glad you are here for Sarah."
"Happy to help. How are you, Ziva?"
"I am fine. However, it is not myself I am concerned with, but McGee."
"Because of how badly his sister reacted to his attempt to comfort her last night." Rachel reasoned so they'd be on the same page.
"It is not just how she reacted to him last night. She has decided she does not wish to see him and she firmly believes he is happy that he was right about that monster she married. Somehow, she has convinced herself that he is not upset or worried about her; only happy about being right about the kind of person Tom was."
"It wouldn't be a good idea for Tim to visit her while she's thinking this way, Ziva, "
"He is already quite upset about all of this. Being told she does not want to see him will crush him."
"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do to change her mind. And we shouldn't anyway. It's something she's going to have to process for herself."
"Well, I have already attempted to correct her thinking." Ziva admitted.
"What did you say to her?"
"Merely that her brother was extremely upset when we found her and that he apologized to her repeatedly ."
"And her reaction to what you had to say?" The Physiologist asked quietly.
"She had nothing to say, but there were tears."
Rachel nodded. "Okay. Anything else I need to know about?"
"I do not believe so. Although, she did say something I found to be a little - strange - when I relayed the content of the conversation between her brother and her mother to her. Just as her brother said it yesterday when I asked him if he was safe from his father after speaking to his mother in the way that he had."
"Winds of War. Yes, Jethro told me about that. He's probably right in that he was warning us that his parents will not be happy when they get here – it might just be a family skirmish before we're able to stop it. Don't worry about it, Ziva. Go on home and get some sleep. She'll be fine with me."
"Who will break the news to McGee?" Ziva worried.
"I'll take care of it." Rachel promised.
"Alright then." Ziva headed out, looking back just once more at the young woman in the bed who was finally sleeping without any restlessness.
As the young NCIS Agent left Rachel alone with the patient, she immediately drew shade on the door, giving them complete privacy, even more so when she locked the door. Having already spoken to Sarah's doctor and the nurses that had just come on duty for the day shift, she knew they'd be left alone to talk.
Just as she'd promised Gibbs when he'd called her for help, she'd stay until Sarah's parents showed themselves at least. She hoped that she'd get the opportunity to check on Tim McGee as well. From everything she'd heard, he probably needed someone to help him let go of all the weight he was carrying on his shoulders right about now. The question was; would he let her in?
