Indefatigable
The eyelids that had remained firmly closed for what seemed like an eternity flickered open. Tony leaned closer and put a restraining, calming hand on Tim's arm as he saw the brief flash of uncertainty in his friend's eyes.
"Stay still Tim, you're in sick bay."
"What? I...work...have to..." He tried to sit up, but a firm hand on each shoulder held him secure on the bed.
"Your work is done McGee." Ziva had taken her place beside Tony as soon as she had given her statement to Hyland. She knew her future with NCIS was in the balance, and she didn't care; what she cared about was that Westcott's death may have robbed McGee of his last chance.
Tim was doing his best to focus, but his head was pounding, and every muscle seemed to be aching...this wasn't just seasickness, maybe he had the flu...felt like it...
"Did Abby...get names?"
"She sure did McGenius, they're all accounted for, the ship's safe."
Tim squinted slightly, something wasn't right. "So...how come...you look?" He turned from Tony to Ziva…someone was missing. "Gibbs...is he okay?"
Again Tony gripped Tim's shoulder. "Gibbs is fine Tim; he's with the Captain...Acting Captain."
"So...how come...the long face...Tony, did you...lose?"
"Lose what?"
"Bet...you, Ziva...always bet..."
Tony literally reeled back in shock. He'd completely forgotten his stupid bet with Ziva about how long it would be before Tim threw up. "How did you know about that? Doesn't matter..."
It had taken him some time, but at last Tim was seeing things more clearly, he could see the lines of worry etched on the faces of Ziva and Tony, there was an IV in his arm, and he could hear the quiet beeps of hospital monitors...slowly he reached up a trembling hand to feel the pads on his chest. He looked up at Tony.
"Not the flu..."
Tony shook his head. "I wish it was Tim; they were putting something in your food."
"How bad?"
Ziva took his hand in hers. "We do not know...my fault. I was too impatient. Ducky says we will find out when we get you to a hospital ashore, you must stay strong until then. Please McGee, for me, can you do this?"
Tim wanted to tell her he'd try, he opened his mouth to answer her, but his body was hit by a blinding flash of pain, it coursed through him like a surge of electricity. The heart monitor alarm sounded shrill in the confines of the sick bay ICU; Tony and Ziva were brushed aside as the medics hurried in to deal with their patient. They watched powerless as Tim's back arched up from the bed, his face a mask of pain.
Tony could hear Ziva whispering in Hebrew, praying maybe...
"What's happening?" He didn't want to disturb the doctor, but he had to know.
"Looks like a tetanic contraction; we have to get his heart-rate stabilised. You should wait outside."
"Told you before Doc, I'm not leaving him."
"Agent Gibbs, you have my assurance that the second we get clearance I'll have a plane on deck. The CAG tells me every qualified crew member has already volunteered to fly you all out of here. Doesn't take long for word to get round a carrier, they know the debt we owe Agent McGee."
It had been a vain hope, Gibbs knew that, but there didn't seem to be anything more he could do for Tim right now.
"He's real sick, the docs say they can only keep him hydrated, try to make him comfortable, if they give him any drugs..."
"They could act adversely with the poison. I do understand Agent Gibbs; I spoke with Doctor Borodale earlier. We're monitoring the weather closely, I give you my word, the first sign we have that it's clearing we'll get you airborne."
"Doctor Mallard, I made a fresh pot." Jimmy set down the china cup. "Doctor, you should take a break, you've been at this for hours."
Ducky briefly glanced away from the monitor. "As have you Jimmy...and Abigail; I will rest later, I have to find something, Timothy could be running out of time."
"Then at least drink your tea while it's hot."
"I will Jimmy, thank you." Ducky reached out for the cup, took a quick sip and continued scrolling through the interview statements that Gibbs had sent; if he could just find one thing…
The teapot had been empty for some time, and Ducky, Jimmy and Abby were still going over the statements; Abby had joined them in Autopsy, her lab felt way too big and empty. Jimmy was about to suggest a break for some food when Ducky cried out.
"That's it…it has to be…I should have thought of it sooner. Jimmy, I have to speak to Jethro, could you please double-check this toxicity information for me. I have to be sure I'm on the right lines."
"Hey Duck, please tell me you have something."
Even with the slightly grainy image on the small screen in front of him Gibbs could see how desperately tired his old friend looked. He was pretty sure he didn't look any better...but sleeping was out of the question.
"I think I do Jethro; we can't be absolutely certain until all the samples you collected have been tested. But I am almost sure Timothy has been poisoned with fluoride."
Gibbs looked completely confused. "Fluoride? Like in toothpaste..."
"Yes indeed, and it was because two of your suspects specifically mentioned toothpaste, when you interviewed them that it came to mind."
"Duck...I don't get it, we all use toothpaste, it's not poison."
"It is when the fluoride ions convert to hydrofluoric acid, that's what was given to Timothy, I'm positive. The early symptoms are very similar to seasickness, nausea, abdominal pain, and headache. But depending on how much he ingested, it could get much worse."
"Already has Duck, he's had two seizures...the docs are struggling to control his heartbeat."
Ducky took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, he'd been hoping they could get Tim to a hospital before he deteriorated so badly.
"What can we do to help him Duck?"
"Pray for a break in the weather."
Ducky had asked for a consultation with one of the medical team working on Tim, and Gibbs had been banished from the Comms Room as they discussed the latest developments. He headed back to sick bay and was surprised to find Chief Soan waiting outside.
"Chief, you need something?"
"I want...truth is I want to apologise to Agent McGee, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be welcome in there."
"True enough. I'm not much for apologies Soan, but I think maybe Tim deserves to hear one from you."
Gibbs ordered Tony and Ziva to go for coffee, heading off the inevitable confrontation between his Senior Field Agent and the Chief. As they entered the ICU together Gibbs stepped aside briefly so that Soan could get a good look at Tim.
Tim lay quiet and still, his body worn out by his latest seizure. The only colour on his face the dark shadows under his eyes, even his lips seemed to be devoid of their normal darker hue. He was surrounded by the usual ICU paraphernalia, IV tubes, catheter, cardiac monitor, a nasal cannula augmenting his oxygen intake. Gibbs got a shock every time he re-entered the ICU, he kept hoping by some miracle Tim would be through the worst that he'd be sitting up, raising his eyebrows at yet another DiNozzo movie reference. He heard Soan take in a sharp breath.
"He still look like a wuss to you Chief?"
Soan took a hesitant step closer to the bed, and shook his head vigorously. "I deserved that Gibbs…I can't believe I did…he's no wuss. He looks to me like a hero who saved this ship." He looked away from Tim for a second to ask. "Can he hear us?"
"Hard to tell; but it can't hurt to say what you came for."
"Agent McGee…" Soan moved as close as he could to Tim, careful not to disturb the IV lines. "Agent McGee; I hope you can hear me, I'm sorry, more sorry than I can ever say for what I did to you. You see, I've known Ian Rowe since he was a kid…served with his dad on the Big Stick. When Ian was assigned to the NimitzI promised Geoff I'd look out for him…then he was killed…I had to call Geoff, hardest call I ever had to make…Guess I needed someone to blame, and they all said you'd killed him…It's no excuse I know, but I wanted to tell you why I was such a jerk…I'm not much for praying, but for what it's worth, my prayers are with you Agent McGee."
Gibbs watched Tim carefully for any reaction, nothing…"In a back handed way you could have saved his life, did you know that?"
The look of total incomprehension on the Chief's face would have been almost comical in other circumstances. Gibbs decided to put him out of his misery. "It's true Chief; if Tim had been eating and drinking normally all the time he was in the brig, he'd have been taking in more poison."
"If that's so, I'm glad of the outcome…but I shouldn't have done it…I saw his face when I threw away his meds, I was in such a rage I didn't care…whatever happens next Gibbs, and I hope to God he gets through this; it won't change the fact that what I did was wrong."
Gibbs was pacing back and forth in the sick bay waiting room; Ziva and Tiny stood against the wall, the air was almost crackling with tension. They'd been ordered from the ICU by Tim's doctors so that they could make a full assessment of his current condition. He hadn't regained consciousness since just before Soan's visit, and the three of them grew more fearful with each passing minute as Tim's vital signs fluctuated wildly.
Acting Captain Leary had encouraged them to take a break; he'd promised Tim wouldn't be left alone. Gibbs had refused, not because he thought Tim was still in danger from anyone on board, but because they all needed to be with him.
"We can sleep when he's safe Skipper, until then we watch and wait."
Doctor Borodale beckoned them back into the ICU; he didn't have to say anything, the anxious glance he exchanged with Doctor Woolmer spoke volumes.
"I'm afraid Tim's condition has deteriorated…each time he has a seizure it weakens his heart, and now his kidneys are failing, without dialysis…"
"How long?"
"Hard to say Agent DiNozzo, we will do everything we can…"
Everyone in the room knew there were limits to what could be done on the ship…Gibbs thanked the doctors for being honest with them, then took up his customary place at the foot of the bed; Ziva and Tony stood either side. They could wait, for as long as Tim held on, they would wait with him.
CAG = Commander Air Group
HMS Indefatigable was one of the Ardent class 64-gun ship-of-the-line designed in 1761 for the Royal Navy. She had a long career under several distinguished commanders, including Admiral Sir Edward Pellew serving throughout the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
C. S. Forester chose Indefatigable under Pellew as the ship on which his (fictional) hero Horatio Hornblower spent most of his time as a midshipman in the novel Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.