A/N: My humblest apologies to all of you who were kind enough to review this chapter the 1st time.

In reading through it myself, I realized the 1st part of it was missing - so I had to repost it.

Again, I am sorry.

Knowing his mother would be right behind him, insisting that they talk, Tim hurried toward the vacant taxi sitting up ahead at the curb. He managed to get the door open before she caught up to him, her hand urgently tugging on his sleeve.

"Timothy, Please!"

Unwilling to look at her with his rapidly swelling black eye, Tim kept his head down, since not moving it helped keep the pain from elevating as well. "I can't do this right now, Mo... Go back to Sarah. Stay with her. She needs you."

"But, you're my son and you need me too!"

Refusing to look at her, he shrugged her hand off his shoulder. "Sarah needs you, not me. Don't let her be left alone." Without looking back, he climbed into the taxi and closed the door between them. Laying his now aching head back against the seat, Tim closed his eyes, not even mindful of the concerned look he was getting from the cabbie who happened to be old enough to be Tim's father – and had teenagers of his own. He was too tired and in too much pain to realize he'd inadvertently turned his face so that his mother's last glimpse of him was the black and blue swollen eye that his father had been kind enough to give him.

"You alright?"

The question chock full of concern, startled Tim, who raised his head slightly and opened his eyes to look at the kind man who'd asked. "I will be, Thanks."

"Looks like someone really had it in for you. Looks fresh, too. You get that while you were at the hospital?"

"Yeah."

"Hope whoever did it, got what's coming to them."

"I already did." Tim answered quietly.
"Hey, son. Nobody deserves to be hit like that. Unless, of course you're cruel to children or a murderer. Somehow, you don't strike me as either."

"Tell that to my father." Tim replied quietly as his eyes slid closed of their own. Suddenly he felt more exhausted than he had last night when he couldn't sleep.

"You're serious? Your father hit you like that?" The man was outraged. "Tell me, you that you didn't let him get away with that! Tell me, that you locked him up!"

"My boss did."

"Good man!"

"One of the best." Tim added without opening his eyes. It struck him then, more than ever, that his boss had been more of a father to him than his own, even before Tim had finally gone to him for help with this mess with Sarah. No matter what his failings or mistakes, the boss supported him, albeit silently and helped him learn and move forward. That was more than he ever had from his own father; the very father that always let him know with physical lessons, what a disappointment he was and that he was not and never would be proud of him. Was it really too much to ask to have a father's love? There had to be something wrong with being treated like a son, more from your boss than from the man that should have been giving it freely all along. Tiredly, he let out the realization that stuck out the most for him. "I've got more respect for him than..."

"Than? Your father? Man, that's harsh. You ever been close to your dad?"

"No. I was never good enough for him." Tim admitted, though he had no idea why he was baring his soul to a complete stranger. "I refused to follow in his footsteps so I'm nothing but a failure in his eyes and always will be."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to open up old wounds. Sometimes my mouth gets the better of me." The cab driver offered a small smile. "My missus always says it'll get me in trouble one day, but I like to talk."

This made Tim relax slightly and he returned the smile; albeit a small one that didn't reach his eyes. "Don't worry about it. It's kinda nice to get this off my chest.

"You got any family? I mean your Boss or friends will be willing to listen right?"

"Yeah, but they don't need any more of my problems on their shoulders. They've helped more than they should have had to."

"Sounds like you're cutting yourself off at the knees, son. Times like these are when you need that extended family the most."

"Maybe, but they've already done so much." Tim sighed and shook his head. "I just can't ask any more of them."

"Well, I speak from experience here, but family is family and kin don't think like that. They'll be there for you no matter what. In fact, they'll be more upset if you don't go to them."

Tim snorted and shook his head. "Not my family."

"Not your biological family. We weren't talking about them, son. We were talking about your other family."

"I know." Tim replied quietly. He just wished the same were true for his biological family because they were the ones breaking his heart right now. "I should but...you know they've done nothing but help me where my actually family failed at that. That says a lot."

"It does. It also tell ya that you need to talk to them."

"You're probably right." Tim admitted. "Something to think about, anyway."

"Well, that's something, at least. You sure you're gonna be alright where you're headed?" The man persisted, unwilling to let it go until he knew this young man would be okay.

"Safest place to be. But, thanks." Tim gave back quietly.

"Alright. But, you really should get that checked out." The cabbie suggested. "And don't tell me you did already, 'cause it wouldn't still be swelling up if you had."

Tim smiled softly at the parental persistence and tone. "You have kids, don't you?"

"Sure do! Three of the orneriest, daredevil teenage boys you could ever ask for. Wouldn't trade any of them for anything in the world!"

"I can tell." Tim sighed when he realized that they had stopped outside his destination. "How much do I owe you?"

"You know what, I stopped the clock when I stopped five minutes ago, but you look like you need a break. It's on me."

Tim glanced at the cabbie and shook his head. "Just when you think the world is against you, you meet someone like you. Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. Just make sure you talk to someone, alright?"

"I will. You've helped. Take care tonight. I know the streets can be dangerous."

"You're my last drop." The cabbie shrugged. "I'm taking the wife out for dinner tonight. It's her birthday and there's this little place she wants to try. The boys have promised to behave while we're out."

Tim smiled warmly. "Have a good time."

"I'm sure we will. Be careful, man."

Tim nodded at the cabbie and offered him one last small smile before stepping out and greeting the guard at the front gate. He had no idea why he'd opened up to that guy, but he was alright and seemed to be one of the genuine people of the world. Shaking his head slightly, he forced himself to refocus. Where in here could he go and still be left alone to think or even to not think? There was only one place; okay, two, that he knew he could safely escape to and be able to count on being left in peace.

A short few minutes later found him almost where he'd wanted to be, having been forestalled by Abby. He should have known that she'd be an un-moveable force because every time her mind was set to doing something, there was no stopping her. Since setting foot in her lab, he'd suffered through hurricane Abby's verbal outrage of Tim's new adornment courtesy of his father, before she finally wrapped herself around him in one of her infamous 'Abby hugs'. The hug itself wasn't too bad, but she had yet to let go. Given their history, he tried to keep his aloof façade in place but his heart ached to be allowed to cry out against the hurts, causing him to mentally falter, and giving her an even stronger sense of his need for her embrace.

"Oh, Timmy. Are you really okay? I mean you're not, I can see that but…I can't believe your dad did that to you! How can he hit his own son like that! I want to…I wan't…How dare he!"

Even though he half expected this from Abby, it wasn't what he needed. What he really needed was some peace and quiet where he could gather his thoughts and push the altercation between him and his father into the deepest recesses of his mind. With a gentle squeeze, Tim finally pulled back. "Thanks, Abby. But I really need to get to work."

"Nope. No can do! No work for you today, Timmy!" Abby cheerfully broke the news to him as if he'd be happy to hear it. "Director's orders!"

"What? Why?" Tim asked in shock. "Tell me, we're not still trying to tie up loose ends in Sarah's case! I was hoping that'd be sewn up by now."

"Oh, it is. It's tight as a drum and not our case anymore. Metro's got all of our evidence and it's a slam-dunk. Tim, don't worry." Abby's tone softened in hopes of reassuring him. "The director's just worried about you and wants you to take some time off after everything you've just been through."

"Time off is the last thing I need." Tim objected vehemently. He didn't mean it to sound so harsh but he knew that if he got lost in work, he didn't have to think about anything that happened; not for the time being anyway.

"But what about your sister?" Abby asked.

"What about her? She has her mother. There's nothing for me to do since she doesn't wanna see me. Not that I blame her."

Abby slugged Tim gently in the arm. She was mindful of the punch in the eye he'd received but knew that changing the way she was with him wouldn't help matters at all. "DON'T you SAY that!" She objected loudly.

"Abby, please." Tim replied without hesitation as her high pitched voice rattled his worsening headache. He really did want to stop talking about this and the fact that Abby was pushing was just grating on his last nerve. "I didn't protect her the way I should have. End of discussion, all right? I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"No! No, it's not! Right, Gibbs?" Abby asked as she looked over at the man whose silent entry still hadn't gotten past her built-in radar. "Tell him he's wrong, Gibbs!"

Taking advantage of Abby's moment of distraction, Tim slipped into her inner office and closed the door behind him. He briefly paused and thought about locking the door just for a few minutes, but that would just cause more bother than it was worth and truthfully, he wasn't rude enough to completely cut his friends out, no matter how much he wanted to be left alone. Completely besieged and overwhelmed with the painful thoughts and memories of all that had transpired within the last 24 hours, Tim never noticed that the boss's eyes had latched on to him from the moment the older man had arrived in the lab and remained fixed on him now with concern. Not only that, but he didn't hear the magnetic door opening to admit Gibbs or realize the boss now stood before him with something obviously on his mind.

"McGee." The boss's tone was surprisingly normal, if not bordering that of concern, enough that it matched the look he still wore on his face. It was a tone guaranteed to get him the results he needed.

Sure enough, Tim looked over at him, although he said nothing, since he could barely think past the pain, dizziness and exhaustion that was beginning to weigh him down. It was amazing how much getting punched in the face could take out of you.

He slumped slightly at the sight of the silent order to step over to the boss's space, given in the form of that crooked finger, and even though he felt defeated, it somehow comforted him. With a sigh, he stood up, not sure what to expect when he reached Gibbs. A head slap? A dressing down? The surprisingly gentle fingers reaching out and taking hold of his chin to scrutinize the damage hadn't even occurred to the younger man; needless to say, Tim was surprised.

As Gibbs carefully turned Tim's face to the right and then to the left, his sharp eye for detail scrutinized the damage he saw before letting his fingers fall away.

Tim felt his boss's gentleness but didn't miss the flicker of cold, steely anger that flashed through Gibbs' eyes. It wasn't aimed at him. Even with the haze of exhaustion and pain hovering over him. Tim knew that deep down. He was grateful to have that confirmed when Gibbs laid one soothing hand on his shoulder as he removed his phone from his pocket. Tim's energy was seriously drained and he felt himself being guided back to the chair as Gibbs made a call,

"Palmer! Got a patient for ya! Abby's Lab. Now."

With a frown, Tim tried to object. "Boss, n…" Gibbs shot him a warning glance and snapped his phone shut. Now sure that the phone call had ended, Tim shook his head. " Boss, I'm fine."

Silently, Gibbs locked eyes on his youngest agent, until Tim sighed and sat back in the chair, completely resigned to his fate. There was no way the Team Leader was going to ignore the injury or the tightness of pain in his Agent's face and was unwilling to let it go untreated. Now that Tim had seen sense, the Team Leader remained where he stood, watching his youngest agent to make sure he was okay, but it wasn't long before he stepped back as Jimmy burst through the lab door in what had to have been a record time, carrying his new medical bag in hand; a very recent gift from Ducky. "Agent Gibbs?"

The Team Leader silently pointed at Tim, leaving no mystery as to the identity of the patient .

"Oh, my God! Tim? Who di…?"

"Doesn't matter, Palmer." Gibbs was quick to nip the question in the bud. "Just take care of his eye and give him something for the killer headache he's got, too."

Tim glanced over at the boss in shock. How did he know that?

Approaching the agent in question, Jimmy started to reach out toward his injured face, stopping himself before actually touching it. "May I?"

"Yeah." Tim breathed out with a resigned sigh. "But can we make this fast? I really need to lie down for a minute."

Instantly, Gibbs felt Abby's eyes on him and he turned to glance her way. Exchanging glances with her, he had to admit he understood why she was worried. This young man never complained like this. He had to be feeling the effects of what his father had done even worse than he was letting on; possibly more than he looked to be doing considering the physical and emotional trauma he'd just been put through.

"Palmer, take McGee back downstairs with you. Set him up on Ducky's sofa." Gibbs ordered quietly, looking directly at the Assistant M.E., "Make him something hot to drink, too."

"Yes, sir." Jimmy replied without hesitation

"No!" Tim vetoed strongly.

Gibbs' eyes flew back to his agent and noted his agitation. It was strange seeing Tim so angry and resilient. He turned back to Jimmy and nodded towards the door. "Give us a minute, Palmer."

Without a word, Jimmy quickly left Abby's office and sighed with relief as the door closed behind him.

"Need you to listen to me for a minute." Gibbs ordered his agent quietly.

"Okay."

"I know you're pissed at Ducky right now, but you need to go with Palmer so he can take a look at ya."

Not exactly thinking straight, Tim didn't even stop to wonder how the boss knew that. Instead he offered a slight nod in agreement, which did nothing to hide the pain he was feeling in his head, even as Gibbs kept talking.

"Doesn't give you a license to be stupid, McGee. You need to get this seen to and you need to sleep – or at least rest until this pain is under control."

Tim rose from the chair and stood, stubbornly silent and unmoving. After the day he'd had, Gibbs wasn't about to bully the younger man into anything; but he wasn't about to let him make foolish choices about his own well-being either.

"McGee, don't let your emotions control your decisions, damn it! Use your head!" Gibbs growled, with rising impatience.

"Boss, I'm just tryin' t…"

"To stay away from Ducky. I know McGee and I get it. You're worrying about it for nothing. You know Ducky better than that. He won't corner you. He'll just look out for you like he does the rest of the team." Tim sighed heavily, making Gibbs frown. "And I expect you to let him!"

Tim nodded. "Okay."

Gibbs nodded firmly. "Good. Want you to stay down there and rest up till I come get you."

Again, Tim nodded and agreed. "Okay."

Stepping back, Gibbs gave Tim the space to walk past him out of Abby's inner office to where Jimmy was waiting. He heard the door hiss closed just as Tony and Ziva arrived in the lab.

As Tony opened his mouth to say something, he felt the heat of Gibbs' glare and looked over at the boss. Understanding the silent demand that nothing be said to Tim about his black eye, Tony kept his mouth shut.

Ziva stepped up to her friend and gently touched his face. "McGee, are you alright?"

"I'm okay, Ziva. Thank you." He answered quietly. The altercation and myriad of emotions that preceded and followed had exhausted him and right now the need to sleep weighed him down, made worse by the pain he was feeling.

"He'll be fine. Tony, go with him down to Autopsy. Make sure he stays there. Sit on him if you have to."

"On it, Boss." Tony's answer was immediate, his eyes not leaving his injured friend and teammate.

"Wait, Boss, what about…?" Tim looked over at the older man as he tried to ask the question, only to realize his brain had just shut down on him, despite needing to hear the answer.

"We'll talk later, McGee." The boss ordered. "Go on."

Nodding silently, Tim turned back to the two men waiting to help him get where he needed to go and were on alert to the possibility that he'd need a steadying hand along the way if the exhaustion took him over before they got him down to Ducky's office.

***NCIS***

Once Tim had left with Tony and Jimmy, the lab was oddly silent until the sound of the elevator door closing could be heard. Within seconds a small storm of chaos blew in as Abby and Ziva spoke in tandem of their concerns and outrage.

"Gibbs, you were there! Why didn't you stop the Commander from laying a hand on Timmy? I can't believe you let that happen! We have to do something! I don't know how much more he can take!"

"Gibbs, I do not believe McGee will want to be watched over nor will he wish to have Tony be his bodyguard when he does not feel the need to have one."

"HEY!" Gibbs yelled above their racket.

Both women stopped talking faster than they'd begun.

"Abbs, there wasn't much we could do and Ziva, he'll be fine with DiNozzo."

Ziva snorted, eliciting a sharp glare from Gibbs. She looked at him with surprise before narrowing her eyes at him. It was a battle of wills and one that Gibbs had no intention of fighting.

With a shake of his head, he turned to Abby and pulled her into his arms. "Abbs, we gotta carry on as normal right now. There's nothing else we can do. McGee's stronger than you're giving him credit for. He'll be fine. So what have you got on this case?"