CHAPTER ELEVEN

"McGee? My god, Tim! You okay?"

Tim opened his eyes. Tony bent over him, his brow creased with concern, then a relieved smile spread across his face. He blew out a long breath.

"Thank god. I thought you were dead." Quickly Tony cut through the tape on Tim's hands and carefully pulled the strip from his face. Tim winced as skin pulled off along with it. With Tony's help, he managed to climb unsteadily to his feet. In the background he could hear voices.

Suddenly Tony frowned as he looked at the tape in his hand and Yancy's body on the floor. "Wait, they just left you here? All taped up on the floor next to the dead guy?"

Tim, trying to rub some feeling back into his hands, simply nodded. Then he shrugged. "I deserve it. It's my fault Yancy and Jenson found this place."

Tony's eyes narrowed as he guided Tim over to sit in the chair by the desk. "What do you mean, it's your fault? They follow you here?"

Tim avoided Tony's gaze. "Yeah. Pretty much." He knew he should tell Tony about the tracking device, but right now, it just seemed like too much effort.

"Damn." Tony was silent for a moment. "Still, that doesn't make it your fault, Tim. How were you to know? And that definitely doesn't excuse them leaving you trussed up and lying on the floor. I don't care if he is your father, the guy is an asshole."

Tim grunted, wincing again. He was exhausted and depressed. His body was like lead. Every movement took too much energy. He just wanted to go home.

"McGee? What are you doing here?"

McGee looked up to see Gibbs staring hard at him.

"You can thank him for bringing Yancy and Jenson here. Led them right in the front door. Didn't you, son?"

Admiral practically spat the final word, loading it with such contempt it was like a physical blow. Tim's jaw tightened as he dropped his eyes back to the floor.

"McGee?" Gibbs voice softened just a notch.

McGee swallowd, then he turned a pain-filled gaze towards Gibbs.

"Boss…I…I didn't know! I mean, I…" Tim glanced at his father who glowered at him with stony eyes. He dropped his head in defeat. "Yes…, it was my fault. They followed me here. They forced their way in behind me. Shot Carson and Morales with some drug and…"

"Bludgeoned Lt. Owens. He could have been killed. Yet, injured, he still managed to pull our asses out of the fire while Tim here did nothing."

Tim felt his face flush. He continued to stare at the floor. It was like being seven years old again.

There was a long, agonizing moment. Finally Gibbs spoke.

"DiNozzo, have the paramedics check out McGee and then take him back to the yard."

"But Boss!" Tony protested stepping forward. "You don't understand. McGee…"

"Take McGee and get him checked out. We'll talk about it back at the Yard. Now, go." Gibbs' tone was firm.

Tony face reddened but he bit back his words. Then, glaring at the admiral, he placed a gentle hand on McGee's arm. "C'mon Tim, let's go."

The admiral moved stiffly to one side allowing them to pass. He refused to even look at his son.

Tim let himself to be led from the room and to where the paramedics were checking out the others. This had to be one of the worst days of his life.

xxxxx

"Ah, there's the culprit!"

Tim sat silently while Ducky examined Tim's forearm. He winced as Ducky carefully made a tiny incision and popped out a small cylindrical implant.

"There were so many bruises and abrasions, this went unnoticed." Using a pair of forceps, Ducky deftly dropped the tiny device into a small plastic jar. He turned back to McGee and laid a sympathetic hand on the younger man.

"Timothy, this is not your fault. It never occurred to anyone they might put a tracking device on you. Surely your father can understand that."

Tim snorted and shook his head. "All my father understands is that I'm a bumbling idiot and an incompetent one at that. And frankly, I haven't done anything to prove otherwise. And he's right, I didn't do anything to try and stop Yancy and Jenson. Lt. Owens did save us. Even with cracked skull."

Ducky sighed as he bandaged the small wound. "Blaming yourself is not going to help anyone." He studied Tim. "Thankfully, no new injuries resulted from your recent misadventure, although I expect you are a bit more sore."

Truth be told, he was a lot more sore. Being thrown to the ground a few times had taken a toll on his already painful ribs. Still, he couldn't forgive himself for being so passive. If Owens could fight through the pain, why couldn't he? He remembered the contempt in his father's face and the hollowness in his chest grew.

"Here, Timothy. Take a couple of these. They'll help with the pain." Ducky placed a couple of small white pills in McGee's hand and handed him a bottle of water. "Now, you just rest for a bit and I'll be back shortly."

Wordlessly, Tim gulped down the pills and water, avoiding meeting Ducky's gaze. He slid off the table and settled onto a cot Palmer had set up for him. He leaned back against the wall, gritting his teeth, and closed his eyes, shutting out the world.

xxxxx

Ducky made his way up to the conference room where Gibbs and his team awaited his arrival. He was very worried about McGee. The signs of deep depression were becoming more evident as the situation with his father continued to deteriorate.

He opened the door to the conference room to find Gibbs and Ziva discussing the current case.

Hey, Ducky," greeted Gibbs. "Have a seat."

With a quick smile and a nod, Ducky settled himself into the soft leather seat. Tony arrived a moment later, his eyes blazing.

Gibbs glanced at Tony, then turned to Ducky. "Well?"

Ducky frowned and hesitated for a moment before responding. "I found a small subdural tracking device inserted under the skin of Timothy's left forearm. It was one part of his body that hadn't been x-rayed and the number of bruises and abrasions he'd suffered made it unlikely unlikely anyone would notice one more where the device was implanted."

"So they just tracked him to the safe house."

"It would seem so. He, obviously, had no idea it had been implanted, yet he blames himself."

"Yeah, so does the admiral." Gibbs shook his head. He couldn't forget the look of utter disgust he'd seen on the admiral's face when they discussed his son.

Suddenly, unable to restrain himself any longer, Tony was on his feet, his face red with anger. "And do you know what that asshole did? When I went in to check Yancy's body, Tim was there, like you saw. But what you don't know is I found him lying on the floor, bound and gagged." Tony ran a hand through his hair, then leaned forward slamming his hands on the conference table. "They'd just left him there! Right next to Yancy's body, like he was a criminal or…or apiece of garbage."

Gibbs eyes narrowed. "You're sure about that? He was still tied up?"

"He sure as hell was. Just like a Christmas turkey. It was horrible. I…" Tony paused and swallowed before continuing more softly. "I thought he was dead. I mean, he was so still and I saw blood. I…" He trailed off and sank back into his seat.

"Perhaps the admiral did not know he was there?" Ziva looked from Tony back to Gibbs.

"Oh, he knew he was there." Gibbs' voice was hard. "After Tony and McGee left and you were photographing the crime scene, the admiral very carefully described to me everything that happened in exact detail making sure I knew what a complete incompetent McGee was. He definitely blames him for all of this."

"And I understand that Lt. Owen's rode in to the rescue and saved the admiral." Ducky's brow was more furrowed than ever.

Gibbs sighed again. "Yeah."

"It is a good thing he was there or they all may have been killed," mused Ziva, "But it is obvious Lt. Owens means much more to Admiral McGee than does his own son." She paused. "I had many problems with my own father, as you all know, but I always knew that he loved me. I can see how much it hurts McGee not to receive any love from his."

"He's a heartless bastard," muttered Tony. "You didn't see poor McGee lying there next to Yancy's body. God, I was just so damned scared. He wasn't moving or anything. Tim had to be in pain. I mean, he never said a word, but you could tell. So tell me, what kind of asshole would leave him tied up like that? His own son no less. Then, and this part almost killed me, Tim told me he deserved it! That it was his fault Yancy and Jenson got in. I was ready to go shoot the admiral myself."

"As I said before, he does believe he is fully responsible for the debacle." Ducky glanced around at the group. "And I suppose, technically he is correct. It was the microchip in his arm that allowed the would-be killers to locate the admiral."

"But he didn't know," protested Tony throwing his pencil to the table. "How can he be responsible if he didn't know he had a tracking device in his arm? And that still doesn't excuse the way the admiral treated him."

"Like I said, the admiral holds him fully responsible." Gibbs now scowled at a piece of paper. "According to Vance Admiral McGee even said something about charging Tim with criminal negligence."

"He'd have us arrest his own son?" Ziva's eyes blazed.

Gibbs shook his head. "No, but he feels we should at the very least suspend McGee until an investigation can be conducted."

"And I am sure Timothy would concur." The others looked back at Ducky. "Jethro, I am very concerned about Timothy's current state of mind. He does not believe anything he has done to date is worthy of respect. The fact that he held up through several hours of merciless torture without revealing the information the killers sought says much of his inner strength and character. But all he can see is that he let himself be captured and thus failed in his mission. Now, knowing that it was because of him, or rather the tracking device he carried, the killers gained access to his father just further confirms his feelings of unworthiness."

"And his damn father's attitude doesn't help," grunted Tony, refusing to let go. "Not to mention Golden Boy, Lt. Jason Owens. I looked up his background, Boss. He was third in his class at Annapolis, was a Navy Seal for four years, has all kinds of award and citations, and seems to excel in everything he does. No way Tim can compete with this guy. He's like Admiral McGee's dream son."

"Will Director Vance suspend him?" Ziva's voice was soft.

Gibbbs' jaw tightened. "If Admiral McGee pulls enough strings he won't have any choice. My guess is yes."

Ducky tapped his chin. "The admiral wants revenge. He was humiliated by the fact that it was his own son, no matter how innocent, that led the killers directly to him. And that Timothy showed no obvious signs of having fought back just reinforces the admiral's beliefs that Timothy is a coward and a weakling. Two things the admiral despises in a man."

"But McGee is neither of those things." growled Ziva turning to Tony for agreement. "He has shown his bravery many, many times over."

"You know that, and I know that, but all Admiral McGee sees is a young man, who in his mind, has always been lacking in those departments. As far as he is concerned, Timothy has not changed at all. He still sees him as a weak little boy, frequently bullied by others, who runs away from danger."

The group sat in a depressed, angry silence, each feeling their friend's pain.

"So, what about Jenson?" asked Tony at last. "Do you think the admiral is still in danger?"

Ziva shrugged. "The admiral said that although Dr. Yancy was the lead researcher on the Antares project when the Navy took over, Dr. Jenson was also heavily involved. He is unsure who was the instigator of the attacks against him."

"Well, Tim said that Yancy wouldn't let Jenson kill him," replied Tony frowning slightly. "That would make it seem like Jenson is the more aggressive of the two."

"I think the admiral is in just as much danger as he was before. I don't think Yancy's death has changed a damn thing." Gibbs steadily regarded his two agents. "Now, we need to track him down. Check with the neighbors around the safe house and see if they saw anything. Talk with Morales and Carson. They're probably awake by now."

Tony rose to his feet with Ziva right behind. "On it, Boss. What will you be doing?"

"I need to go talk with McGee."

Tony's brow furrowed. "Be careful with him, Boss. He's worried you're going to rip him a new one."

Gibbs gave him a sad half smile. "Don't worry, DiNozzo. I think his father has already done enough of that."

xxxx

I was able to get another chapter finished and up before our trip to New Hampshire tomorrow. Unfortunately, I doubt there will be another until after the weekend. But who knows? Stranger things have happened. Thanks again for reading and for all your entertaining reviews! I really appreciate them.