A/N: I hope you like this. I am still concentrating on team dynamics, and I am showing lots of caring, but I am also trying not to be OOC with anyone. Please let me know how I did. Sheila

Chapter 9

Uncommon Minds

Gibbs commandeered a wheelchair in the hall outside his room around 0400. A young nurse wanted to argue with him but she was out of her depth. He ignored her and wheeled himself out of the ward in search of the waiting room. The aching in his calf and torso was profound, but he felt out of the loop in that quiet room and he was too worried to sleep. He figured the nurse would ambush him with reinforcements, but he was determined to get some answers before that.

The waiting area was quiet and the lights were dimmed. On a center table were trays of cold cuts, cheese, crackers, and fruit left by Jackie Vance. On one couch, Ziva sat sleeping with both Sarah and Abby resting their heads on either side of her lap. Ducky and Tony lounged in chairs, snoring softly. Fornell sat under the one light reading the newspaper. He looked up at Gibbs' approach.

He chuckled. "They're going to hunt you like a dog, Jethro."

Gibbs grunted. The pain in his torso was growing with each movement. "Do we know anything?"

"No."

"He's been in surgery a long time."

Fornell nodded. Then he peered at Gibbs more closely. "You tore out your IV."

Gibbs frowned. "Nobody was telling me anything."

"Yes, so tearing out your IV was the obvious solution." Fornell looked past Gibbs and saw two nurses hurrying toward them. "The troops have arrived and you are on your own, my friend."

The young nurse, flustered, showed up with an older nurse in tow. She pointed at Gibbs as if there was some question as to the runaway patient. The head nurse folded her arms. "We can't have you running around as you please with your injuries."

"I wanted to check on my agent," Gibbs growled.

"We'll tell you as soon as we know something."

"I'm not leaving until I hear something."

She sighed and signaled the younger nurse to hand her his chart. No one said anything while she scanned the pages. Then she scowled and looked at her nurse. "You didn't tell me he was a former Marine Gunnery Sergeant."

"Sorry Ma'am."

You know better than to argue with a gunny. Have I taught you nothing?'

Fornell watched the scene unfold with a growing fascination.

"She's right, you know. Never argue with a gunny. Toughest breed found anywhere in the military," Gibbs added.

The older nurse stepped forward. "Don't get too cozy there, Gibbs. I'm nurse Gail Partridge, formerly Marine Gunnery Sergeant Partridge, 1st class. I was referring to myself."

Gibbs winced.

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't back down anymore than you do, Gunny."

"I'm worried about my agent."

She nodded. "Surgery went long. The agent, McGee, he been with you long?"

"Since he was a pup."

"Okay, I hear you. You're going to let Simpson here re-insert the IV. Then you can stay here for a little while. Don't think you fool me though. I can see the pain in your face. Hearing news in your room is no different than hearing it here."

"Jethro, I'll come tell you the minute I hear anything," Fornell offered.

Behind them, a door swung open and a surgeon. It was clear that he was as exhausted as anyone else in the room. He looked around, "Are you McGee's people?"

"Yeah."

Fornell nudged Ducky and Tony. Ziva shifted, her eyes popping open. Abby and Sarah sat up, their faces blurry.

Surgeon sighed. "News is a mixed bag. He's in critical condition. Surgery was long and complicated. He arrested twice on the table."

Abby gasped and Ziva put an arm around her neck.

"But I got a feeling about this. Been doing this long enough to know that the patient does as much work in there as I do. McGee is a very young determined man. He kept coming back even when his vitals weren't good. He doesn't like to give up, does he?"

Gibbs smiled. "No, he doesn't."

"That's my probie," Tony said, getting to his feet.

Sarah stood. "Can we see him?"

Surgeon shook his head. "He'll be in recovery until morning. Maybe tomorrow afternoon when he's stabilized."

"I'm his sister. Please. It'll help if he knows I am there."

The surgeon rubbed his forehead. "I shouldn't, but it can help. You won't upset him?"

Sarah shook her head. He extended a hand and she followed him into recovery.

Gibbs looked around the room. "Go home and sleep if you can." Nobody moved.

Then he nodded at Partridge. "I'm ready to go back to my room now."

….

It wasn't a flat screen, but the picture was clear and that's what mattered to him. When Tom Hanks sat down on the bench, Tony waited for the moment and then mouthed, "Life is a box of chocolates" right along with him. He had a pile of feel good classics next to him because that was the mood he was trying to encourage. He heard a noise to his left, and looked over to find Gibbs mumbling in his sleep.

Then there was a groan to his right, and he swung around to see McGee in the other bed. Then he gasped, "His McEyes are open!"

Gibbs' head jerked up and he tried to prop himself up on his elbow. Tony darted from Tim back to Gibbs. "Sorry, Boss, that was not a signal for you to get out of bed. You can't get up."

McGee turned his head, his eyes worried. "Boss? You okay, Boss?"

Tony was still trying to manhandle Gibbs. "You don't settle down, and I will have to call for the Partridge. Come on, Boss, I know how you feel about the Partridge."

"Tony?" McGee was starting to sound agitated.

Gibbs slapped Tony in the shoulder. "Get out of my way so I can see McGee."

Tony bounded over to McGee, careful to stay out of Gibbs' line of sight. "How you doing, Tim?"

"The boss is okay?"

Tony pointed. "See! There he is. They put the two of you in the same room. Boss insisted."

Gibbs raised his head again. "I'm okay, Tim. How about you?"

"Everything hurts."

Gibbs smiled. "Well, it oughta'. You poked enough holes in yourself."

McGee closed his eyes. "Then he shot me. You were tied up on the ground. I was so worried."

Tony sat on his bed and patted his hand. "And then you went all rambo and took out Sebastian."

McGee nodded softly. "I did. I killed him. I remember it but I'm not sorry. I don't feel bad at all. Now he can't hurt anyone anymore."

"Actually Tim, I have a little news for you—"

Gibbs interrupted. "You shouldn't worry about Sebastian. I don't want you to think about him at all. You hear that, Tony?"

"I do."

McGee's eyelids drooped. "I'm so glad it's all over."

Tony nodded. "Don't worry about anything. It's all going to be okay."

McGee faded away again. Tony waited until he had drifted off. Then he looked over at Gibbs. "It kills me that the bastard is still breathing."

Gibbs nodded. "Let's wait until he's stronger before we tell him."

….

Ziva stood at the window, arms folded, and stared into the ICU room holding Sebastian. Fornell had two agents inside with direct orders to stop her if she tried to enter. Sebastian was a man in his 50's, real name, Mitchell Connor. He was out of shape, balding, and ordinary. There was nothing about him that would have ever caused her eyes to hesitate if she saw him on the street.

Fornell had teams searching his home, going through his bank accounts, his internet history, etc… It was no secret that they had him on multiple charges, but they knew that with a man like Sebastian, the surprises were just beginning.

For Ziva, it would be simple. She would go in, unhook the machines, and barricade the door. He would simply die without medical support. It would be a victimless crime. She would do it for Tim. Gibbs had been lying about Sebastian's death for two days now. Tim was awake now and alert. Soon, he would have to know that Sebastian was recovering as well. He could handle it, she was sure of it, but she knew his stress would build again and she badly wanted to protect him from that.

Tony had always smelled a bit like cinnamon. She breathed it in as he came up behind her. It was still a honeymoon of sorts. The whole team was living in the glow of finding Sebastian and McGee's recovery. This Tony wasn't a naughty frat boy; he was all big brother these days. He slipped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. It was comforting and she welcomed it. Together, they stared at Sebastian.

"Tim needs to know."

"Gibbs says he has nightmares."

"He'll have nightmares no matter what he knows now. The past is not erased."

He rested against her neck. "I'm so tired."

"Gibbs told me that we're all going to take a break after this. He says he's going to take us fishing. I don't know how to fish. Will I like it?"

Tony sighed. "Yes, you will, but it drives me nuts. I can't stand all that sitting and waiting. Gibbs took me fishing once and ended up pushing me in the lake. I think his breaking point was when I started singing the soundtrack from Grease."

She chuckled. "You will sit on the dock with the beer then. I will be out on the boat as I like to sit quietly."

"Sebastian is irrelevant, you know. He's just a fat man waiting for a jail sentence now."

"I wished I believed that."

"Well, we have to believe that. We've stripped him of all his mystery. We pulled the curtain back on the Great Oz. I don't think he can be powerful anymore."

She covered his arms with hers. "He is like the great Ozzie Osbourne? I do not understand."

"Wizard of Oz, Ziva."

She shrugged.

He laughed. "It'll take awhile to untangle that one. Let's just say that the emperor is wearing no clothes."

She nodded. "That is a reference I can understand."

"When this is all over, I'm gong to have to go back to being difficult and annoying again. You're aware of that, right?"

She smiled. "There is no other way you and I can work together."

….

Gibbs took his pain meds without complaint. The worst had passed and he gave into the exhaustion of the last few weeks. He didn't hear anyone coming in the room, but he woke when the curtain between he and McGee was dragged shut. Sarah peaked her head out and nodded at him, and he relaxed. Tim's parents were here.

He was drifting back into sleep, but the voices of the McGee family kept following him.

"Tim, your mother and I were so worried. I can't believe it took Sarah two days to call us."

"Dad, it took me two days to reach you. I didn't know you finally got a cell phone."

"Sarah, you would if you were talking to us on a regular basis."

"Please, Dad, let's not fight. I'm so glad you and Mom came."

"Of course we would come, Tim. Why wouldn't we come?"

"I didn't mean anything, Dad."

"I don't get how this happened. You're a programmer for NCIS. How do you end up chasing serial killers?"

"I'm a field agent. I've told you that many times."

"You say your specialty is computers. You said that you don't excel in the field. We have talked a thousand times about how you don't operate well under stressful circumstances. You were going to talk to your C.O. about it."

"Dad, leave him alone. You only hear what you want to hear. Tim is a respected field agent for the Navy."

The voice deepened. "I'm not trying to be difficult. We love you, Tim. I'm always thinking of what's best for you."

"I know and I appreciate it." Gibbs could hear the exhaustion in Tim's voice. He sat up.

"You're not built for fieldwork. I've seen you fail over and over when I took you out on the water, at Annapolis, at my old frat… You're the first McGee in 125 years to not go into the Navy. And playing at being a Navy cop doesn't count. I've come to terms with it. You're beating your head against the wall with this need to prove that you're something you're not. I don't need that from you. I used to, but now I know it was wrong to pressure you like that."

"I'm getting tired, Dad. Could we talk more later?"

"You've misunderstood me again. I'm not trying to be hurtful. I've always taught you the importance of being honest with yourself about your potential as well as your limitations."

"You've always wanted the best for me."

"John, he's exhausted. Let him rest."

"How long will the two of you be here?"

"I'm doing consulting work on the U.S.S. Enterprise. They're in the Indian Ocean. I have a window of about 48 hours before I need to leave or lose the ride out to the ship."

"I'm going to be fine, Dad. Really. I know what I'm doing."

"If you knew what you were doing, I wouldn't be getting phone calls in the middle of the night telling me that you're in critical condition."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Don't apologize to him. It's the same old pressure that he's been putting on you for years."

Tim was fading. "Don't fight with him, Sarah. Please. No more fighting."

The curtain opened suddenly, and Gibbs stood there leaning off his bad leg against a chair. Commander McGee turned to look at him. "You're Gibbs. Tim talks about you often."

Gibbs leaned forward and offered a hand. "Nice to meet you, Commander."

"I hope we didn't wake you."

"I got nothing to do here but sleep. Don't worry about it. I wouldn't be disturbing you but I could hear how tired Tim was getting. His doctor is very specific on the need for rest. He's only a few days out of surgery."

The commander raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, Gibbs wondered if the commander was going to tell him to mind his own damn business. Instead, the tall craggy faced man nodded and put his arm around a lovely woman with Tim's eyes. "You're right, Gibbs."

John McGee leaned over and kissed his son on the forehead. His mother did the same. "Your mother and I will be back in the morning."

"Good to see both of you. It's been too long, Dad."

McGee smiled at his son and led his wife out. Sarah scowled but Tim grabbed her hand. "Go with them, Sarah, and don't be so sharp. They're rattled, scared. Don't be so hard on them."

She rolled her eyes and hurried after her mom and dad.

Tim looked up at his boss. "Thanks for not saying anything. It's complicated. My dad really cares, but he's a worrier. He doesn't come off right. He always sounds so critical."

"You would not be out in the field if you weren't one of the best I'd ever seen. Do you understand that?"

Tim smiled. "It's taken a long time for me, Boss, but I do know that now."

Gibbs furrowed his brow. "I don't want to interfere, but you're a lot more confident than when I first met you. I don't want you to lose that. It makes you the man that you are."

"Thanks Boss. I'll keep that in mind."

"Get some rest, Tim."

McGee's eyes were already closing. Gibbs watched him sleep for a few minutes before he hopped back to his own bed.

….

TBC