Tony and Ziva arrived at the hospital almost in tandem, falling silently into step with each other out in the parking lot and continuing on as they walked the halls towards Tim's room. It was as if they each knew the other couldn't find the words to speak amidst all they were already buried under. Neither looked like they felt as though they belonged there; both resolved to be there for their teammate regardless. Finding Abby standing outside Tim's room, looking into the window, they stopped and approached her at a calmer pace. Finally, there was something they could talk about; needed to talk about.
"Abby. Why are you out here and not in McGee's room visiting with him?" Ziva questioned cautiously. "Has something happened?"
Abby turned to greet them and answer Ziva's question. "Hey, guys. No, He hasn't woken up yet. The nurses just wanted to check him over before we went in to sit with him. I can't believe he's been sleeping so long."
"Kinda get that when you're sedated, Abbs." Tony quirked.
Abby smiled softly. "Yeah, I know. But it's just so not Timmy, ya know?"
"Not sure we do. I mean, you did date for a while, so to what exactly are you referring?" The accompanying grin seemed to set Abby off.
"Tony, this isn't funny!" The Lab Rat hissed as she smacked him in the arm.
"Hey!" Tony complained rubbing his arm. "You think I don't know that this isn't funny? Think again, Abby!"
"Stop this!" Ziva hissed angrily before walking away to stand with her back up against the wall across from them so she could still see the comings and goings from Tim's room.
Tony's instant of levity in the face of the awful truth in front of him had disappeared, having been replaced by the weight and emotion that came with the pile of guilt that he'd accepted and refused to completely let go of. Then it hit him. Where was Gibbs? Where was Ducky?
"Ducky's getting Gibbs to eat something for breakfast down in the cafeteria. They've already been in to see Tim. I ran into them as they were coming out of his room with Timmy's Doctor." Abby told them as if she'd been reading his mind.
While anger still showed in her eyes, her tone was quieting down and the sadness was also coming back in her watery eyes and the shakiness in her voice. "Ducky got Gibbs' doctor to release him, since Gibbs would have been putting up a fight if they'd made him stay anyway. Sarah's been here, too. She couldn't stay because she doesn't have any leave from her job. I promised her we wouldn't leave him alone. She's counting on us to keep that promise."
Before any more could be said the door to their teammate's room opened and the nurses came out. "All right. You may sit with him. We've begun weaning him off the sedation, but you are not to disturb him. I don't care how badly you want him to wake up and talk to you. Do you understand?" The more assertive of the two ordered with the sternest of looks. "I would hate to have to ban you from visiting your friend."
"We won't wake him. " Tony solemnly owed as he headed into Tim's room and stopped, frozen in his tracks with a sudden wave of sorrow and guilt so strong, he was surprised he was still standing. A strong arm around his waist held him up and provided the grounding touch that he desperately needed.
"Come, Tony. We must put our own feelings away and work through this to be there for him." Ziva said quietly as if she completely and totally understood exactly what was going through his mind. How was that possible? The only way anyone could be that keyed into what was going on with him would be if…Crap! Ziva was feeling just as responsible and guilty as he was!
Over on the other side of the bed, Abby was already sitting down in the chair beside Tim's bed and had already taken one of his hands in hers, absently rubbing her thumb across his smooth skin, relishing the warmth of it that reaffirmed for her that he was alive. "Oh, Timmy. You have to wake up soon. You can't sleep though being heralded as a life saver. I'm so proud of you. You saved Gibbs' life. I know you were just doing your job, but look at what just doing your job has done to you. Please wake up soon." She pleaded softly.
"Abbs." Tony growled in her ear. "Don't you dare wake him up."
She nodded at his warning and stopped talking. Watching Tony retreat to the other side of the bed and come to a standstill at Ziva's shoulder, Abby was shocked to notice they were wearing matching expressions of guilt and remorse. What was going on here? Just what the hell had happened out there that they hadn't spoken of yet?
**NCIS**
"Director Vance." The Agency Head answered his phone, glancing at his watch with a frown. Who the hell was calling him at 0700? God, please tell me this isn't someone calling me to tell me McGee didn't make it!
"Director Vance. Commander McGee. I got your message. I apologise for not being available to talk to you last night. So, tell me how he died, Director, if you would."
"I beg your pardon?" Vance asked in shock.
"Weren't you calling me to notify me that Tim was killed in the line of duty?"
"No. Sir, Commander McGee, that wasn't why I was calling you." Leon Vance could barely surpress his shock while he quickly answered the man on the other end of the phone line.
"I can't imagine why else you would be calling me, Director."
"The reason I called you, Commander, is because your son has been injured while on the job. Currently, he's in the hospital, Bethesda Naval Hospital."
"Director Vance. While I appreciate your concern and the fact that you are following procedure in notifying the parents of a wounded agent of such injury; I feel it necessary to negate you from that requirement. The only time we will need to receive a call from NCIS in regard to Tim, will be in the event of his death. Anything else is inconsequential, as in truth, I do not have a son."
"I'm sorry, Commander. It may be none of my business, but I'm afraid that I'm going to need some clarification of that statement before I can accept that as your instruction on this matter."
"Simply put, Director Vance. My son has done nothing but present himself to be a failure at every single thing I have ever asked of him. Seven years ago, when he adamantly refused to even attempt to do what I asked, I washed my hands of him. That has not changed. Until he can do what I've asked of him or until he has been killed in the line of duty, I do not wish to be contacted about anything with regard to him. I've already lost my wife as a result of his willful disregard of his responsibility to make his parents proud, Director Vance. All I have left is my daughter and I do not want anything her brother does or doesn't do to taint her life or my relationship with her."
"All right, Commander. I will make note of your wishes. Thank you for your time." Vance hung up and wiped his hand across his face. What the hell kind of a father thinks like that about his own son? Anger flashed through him at the conversation he had just had. Tim was a damn fine agent and an asset to the agency. If only his father knew and understood that.
Suddenly, he recalled the short conversation with Sarah McGee on the subject of her parents.
"They won't be coming. Tim and Dad haven't spoken in over seven years."
Well, what about your mom?"
"Tim refuses to put her in the middle. So he doesn't call her."
"They are still his parents and the Agency is legally obligated to contact them.".
"I can't call them about this. Please don't ask me to get in the middle of it."
Leon Vance huffed out a breath of disbelief and surprise. What had the man meant when he'd said he'd lost his wife because of Tim? Sarah never said anything about her mother dying. Looking at the photos of his own family and at the drawings done for him by his kids, Leon frowned. It wasn't right to think of your child the way this man obviously thought of Tim. He couldn't imagine doing that to his kids. Lord, what it must have been like trying to make your own way into the world with that kind of a man standing in your way.
Picking up the phone, he made the necessary call to relay what information he could. The conversation was unpleasant, short and full of emotionally charged anger on both sides. Since neither side would be able to do anything about what they'd learned, they agreed to table it for now. Ending the call, Vance felt a stab of sorrow for Gibbs, knowing that hearing what he'd just heard about his agent's father, had to have stirred up painful memories of his own daughter.
He wished he hadn't had to make that call, but as Team Leader, the man needed to know what to expect.
Vance looked once more at his family's portraits and this time, he felt immense relief and joy that he had the love of his wonderful wife and both his completely awesome kids. You just couldn't ask for better than that. Smiling once more, he took his phone back out and made one more call, this time, smiling while he did.
**NCIS**
Gibbs put his phone away but couldn't let go of the scowl on his face as he turned his attention back to the breakfast he'd just lost his appetite for. Pushing his sandwich away, he took a long drink of his coffee even as his thought swirled angrily in his head. What the hell was wrong with parents these days? Hell, parents of this younger generation for that matter? How many times were they gonna stumble across another set of parents that didn't give a rats' ass about their kids? To think, all these years Tim never said a word about being estranged from his father and none of them had ever had a clue! How had he managed to live with it without it showing?
"Jethro, what did the Director have to say?" Ducky asked cautiously. "Whatever it was certainly wasn't good judging from both your side of the conversation as well as the look on your face even now."
A long minute of silence greeted the M.E.'s question and Ducky knew not to push. After a few more minutes of silence, Gibbs finally answered with quiet steeled anger.
"I don't want anyone asking McGee why his parents aren't here to check on him, Duck. Matter of fact, I don't want anyone bringing them up to him at all."
"Oh, dear. I take it that Sarah McGee was being most truthful about her father, then?"
"Why? What did she say?" the Team Leader asked with traces of anger still present. If that young lady had put her brother down again, like she had when he'd damn near sacrificed his career for her…. It didn't matter if she was defending her parents this time…
"She merely told us that her parents would not be coming to visit Timothy. She went on to say that Timothy and his father have been estranged for the past seven years. She also told us that Timothy refuses to place his mother in the middle and so he has not kept in touch with her either."
"Damn. It's a wonder McGee's as well-rounded and as much of a people pleaser as he is, considering the atmosphere he grew up in."
"Perhaps, Timothy has become who he is, in spite of his upbringing and not because of it. Either that or it's some deep rooted insecurity that means he does not want to disappoint any one else in his life. I much prefer thinking it's the first option." Ducky suggested.
"Possible. I met his sister, never met the rest of them, but he never talks about them either."
"No, He does not. A fact that I've always wondered about, even when I considered how much of a private person Timothy is. You two really are a lot alike, with that being one example. However, I have noticed over the years that the only mention of family around the holidays has been of him spending them with his sister."
"Yeah." The Team Leader admitted on a pained sigh of understanding what he'd missed.
"Shall we go check on our team, I'm certain they've either woken poor Timothy up by now or have come seriously close to doing so."
"If they have, they'll be answering to me." Gibbs growled as they got up from their table and started walking toward the trash bins to dispose of their uneaten breakfasts.
"Gibbs!" Abby's distressed voice reached them about the time they'd almost cleared the doorway to the cafeteria.
"Abby, what is it?" the boss asked with undisguised worry as he automatically held his arms out for her to come to, just like he'd always done when she was upset.
"What the hell happened out there at that warehouse?" She demanded angrily. "Tony and Ziva are both standing around looking like they shot Tim themselves for cyrin' out loud! Did they? Did one of them shoot him and no one wants to tell me?"
"Abigail, you must calm yourself. Immediately! This is a hospital!" Ducky admonished her even as Gibbs embraced her and began trying to calm her down.
"No, Abbs. None of us shot him." Gibbs told her as he held onto her for a comforting minute.
"What aren't you telling me?" She wimpered. "Why do they look so guilty?"
"Where are they?" Gibbs asked so he could turn the conversation and find out what he needed to know at the same time.
"In Timmy's room, staring at the floor like they can't even bring themselves to look at him. It's like looking into a mirror between them." Abby said tearfully as she pulled back and wiped at her face, trying to put herself back together.
"Come, Abigail, we were just on our way to come check on Timothy ourselves. Has he awoken yet?" Ducky asked as he wrapped his arms around her and walked with her.
"No. I hate seeing him lying so still, Ducky. It's like he…"
"Do not finish that sentence, Abby." Gibbs growled. "I'm gonna go see what's going on, Duck." The Team Leader increased his stride and was soon gone from their sights.
***NCIS***
Weighted down. Heavy, so heavy. He had to be, everything was pitch black and he felt like he couldn't move a muscle, Still he felt drawn to the sliver of light just beyond the darkness. Like a moth to a flame, he sought it, pushing through the heaviness with all his might. God, he was tired! Maybe he'd just stop and rest for a while. No, wait. He wanted to find that light. Needed to get there. Keep going! Don't lay down on the job now! Get off your lazy butt and get there! Man, this is taking forever. What if it's a mirage? But,it's not hot enough to be the dessert. It's closer now. Really close, How'd I get here so fast? C'mon, just a little farther. Wow, there it is! The light!
His eyes fluttered opened but he couldn't summon the strength to move any other part of his body. It all weighed a ton and he was just too tired. Looking around as his vision cleared, he could not only sense that something was wrong, he could see it in the expressions of the faces he knew so well. Tony! Ziva! Wait why were only two of them here? Think, Tim, think! Oh God, the shooting! Gibbs crying out as he was shot! Oh, God no! Look at the looks on their faces! They can't even look at me and I can see it! Ducky and Abby aren't here. Oh, God, it's my fault! Otherwise Abby would be here and they wouldn't look like that. He'd failed to save Gibbs! Gibbs was dead! Oh, God No!
Closing his eyes against the onslaught of grief that rose up immediately, Tim let the blackness of sleep take him away even as silent tears slipped down his face, the words finally spoken into the silent room, the last thing he heard.
"Gibbs would have …."