Chapter 13: The Search

Dr. Scott smiled at Tim's attempt to bring things down to a manageable level. It gave him more hope than he'd had before that Tim could tolerate another bout with the effects of cancer. Sometimes, he had to wonder why it was that doctors had to nearly kill their patients in order to save them. In no other field of medicine was this dichotomy so obvious as in oncology...and Dr. Scott had never felt it so acutely as he did in this moment, looking at Tim, knowing how much more he had to deal with still. However, the practiced detachment that all doctors had to learn in order to survive helped him refocus.

"The first step is to find a viable donor. The HLA have to be typed...that's human leukocyte antigens. It's very rare to find an unrelated donor who is an exact match with the major and minor antigens. However, matching only the six major antigens is much more doable and we're lucky in this case because Tim's tissue type is relatively common..."

"Wow, we're lucky?" Naomi asked, incredulously. "Has that happened in any other aspect of this mess?"

Dr. Scott nodded. "I would say it has. Look at all the people here. Tim is very lucky to have you all."

Everyone looked at each other and then looked away.

"...as I was saying, Tim's tissue type is fairly common for his ethnicity. That's one of the factors we look at when finding an unrelated donor. We'll search through those in his ethnic group first before expanding outside of that. However...first, we'd like to test all of you, if you're willing."

"Us?" Abby asked. "What are the odds of one of us having the same tissue type as Tim?"

"Pretty low, but it has happened and it's as good a place to start as any. Better actually because you're all already here and accessible. Are you willing?"

"Of course," Abby said instantly. The others followed suit quickly.

"I thought you wouldn't have a problem with it," Dr. Scott said, smiling. "We might as well do that now. We can't get started on the transplantation process for awhile yet in any case."

"Why not?" Tim asked.

"Because you're still recovering from pneumonia. We'll wait a couple of weeks. You have the time," he said, comfortingly. "While the cancer wasn't eliminated, it is definitely in lower numbers than it was before. We've simply turned back the clock a little bit."

"Yeah," Tim said softly. "Just a little."

"You'll start feeling more like yourself soon enough."

"But that's about when the next round will start, correct?"

"If all goes according to plan, yes, I'm sorry."

"Well..." Tim sighed. "...that's what I signed up for...so, let's go."

"All right," Dr. Scott said, nodding. "If you'd all come with me?"

Tim watched the NCIS people clear out and wished he was going with them.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"How does this testing work? A blood test?" Tony asked as they walked down the hall.

"No. Actually, it's even more simple. We just take a cheek swab and test your DNA."

"Really?"

"Yes, it is quite a bit like what I believe you do in your investigations."

"Fascinating," Ziva said. "How long will the testing take?"

"Not long. A couple of days. Now, I don't want you to get worked up if none of you are matches. As I said, it's not especially likely for a match to be found so close to home, but it is possible."

"I'd like to call Mr. Palmer as well. He has been covering for me quite often and I know he would like to be able to help."

"Certainly. The more the merrier," Dr. Scott said. "There are so many possible combinations of the antigens that some people never find a suitable match. The larger the pool, the greater the likelihood of us finding someone who is a viable donor."

Ducky looked at the others and they all grinned. "Well..." Ducky began, "...if that is truly the case, I think I know where the pool can start."

"Where's that, Ducky?"

Ducky grinned. "Would it be possible to test the people at NCIS?"

"What? All of them?"

"Well, I'm certain that there are criteria donors must meet before donating, but I think I can say without hesitation that they would all wish to help. Is it possible?"

Dr. Scott grinned in return. "Yes, Ducky. I do believe that is a distinct possibility."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Ducky was right. It took nearly two days just to deal with everyone at NCIS who wanted to be a part of the search for a viable donor. Some of them were already registered...and were quickly eliminated. Others, unfortunately including Tony, for his plague encounter, and Ducky, for his age, were eliminated during the medical background check. It was hard, even with Dr. Scott's warning beforehand, to be excluded because of something other than an unmatched tissue type. At the end of two days, the tissue samples had been collected and sent for analysis.

Because he had been eliminated quickly, Tony had moped around for a few hours and then grabbed a camera. He began to take pictures of people waiting to be tested, some in groups, others going over medical histories. Some of them were looking at the brochures in the waiting room. Many of them were virtual strangers...they were there not specifically as friends but as comrades in arms. They all were on the same team, and when one member faltered, it was up to the rest to help where they could. Tony even risked his life by sneaking into Gibbs' hospital room to take a picture of him getting a tissue sample taken.

It was Abby's idea to take pictures of other things...like NCIS itself. She talked Ziva into taking a camera to a crime scene and documenting people working. Life had to go on...even in the midst of cancer. Tony was a little worried that showing life going on without him would make Tim feel worse, but Abby insisted that he would love it. All that next night, Abby began to create a collage of the images. When she was finally satisfied, she printed it off, large-scale, and then printed off some of the individual photos. She did hope that Tim would like it...and not be hurt by it. She had scrounged around and found some old pictures of Tim and photoshopped them into the collage. This wasn't about Tim missing everything, but about everyone missing him and helping him get back. That's what she wanted to show.

Tim would get it. ...wouldn't he?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Where's Tim?" Abby asked in surprise two days later. The isolation room was empty. She hadn't been able to get there. Actually, none of them had because of the new case that had started to take over their lives.

"Oh, they've moved him back to a regular room. This one is still more or less isolated, but it has a window and you don't have to get all decked out now that his immune system is rebounding," Merrily said.

"No masks?" Abby asked hopefully.

She shook her head. "Sorry. You had better get used to that look. It's going to be fairly common. There might be a brief respite before we start the transplant process, but other than that..."

"Yeah, I get it," Abby said, sighing. "They sure are uncomfortable. Don't you get tired of wearing them?"

"You get used to it...after a few years."

"Right. Where's his room now?"

Merrily pointed it out and Abby ran down the hall, her presents in her arms. She stopped outside Tim's room, scrubbed her hands with the gel, grabbed a mask, scrubbed her hands again and then knocked eagerly.

"Come in."

Abby opened the door and peeked inside. Tim was in bed...of course, but he was staring out the window in absolute awe. He was almost squinting, but he wasn't looking away.

"What are you looking at, Tim?" Abby asked.

"I feel like it's been years since I saw the outdoors," Tim whispered. He looked back from the window and blinked a few times to readjust his eyes. "What is it?"

"I have something for you," Abby said. "Actually, we all helped out with it, but I put it all together. I would have brought it sooner, but we had a big old case that took over and this is the first chance I had to come and I was so surprised that you were out of isolation. I'm glad, but I didn't expect it and..."

Tim was grinning. He didn't try to interrupt. He just smiled. Even though it was completely genuine, the sight of Tim, skin and bones that he was, smiling was almost painful, and Abby stopped her ramble.

"What is it, Abby?" Tim asked.

"Well, Tony said that you might not like it...but I really hope you do. Now, I'm all nervous that you won't and it'll just make you depressed."

"Abby, let me see," Tim said.

"Okay. Big thing first. Then, the smaller ones."

"There's more than one thing?"

"Of course!"

"Of course," Tim echoed softly.

Abby turned back toward the door and unrolled the large collage. Then, she turned back around. "Ta-da!"

Tim stared at it without speaking. When the first tear rolled down his cheek, Abby dropped the collage on the floor. "Oh, you do hate it!"

Tim laughed. "No...that's not it, Abby. I don't hate it."

"Then, why are you crying, Tim?"

"I...I love it...really." Tim sat up. "Could I look at it again?"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Hesitantly, Abby held up the collage again.

"What is everyone doing?" Tim asked.

"Where?"

"Everywhere. They look like they're in the hospital."

Abby grinned and put down the collage. "That's the second part." She drew out a pile of pictures. "I'll make a cool old slide show, but I wanted you to see them faster than that."

"That's Lara...and Director Shephard...and Alan and Jimmy and..." Tim looked up. "They all look like they're...here."

Abby nodded and grinned. "Yeah. We decided to ask if anyone else at NCIS wanted to be tested."

Tim flipped through the photos. "This looks like...like everyone who works there."

"I think it is."

More tears, but a big smile. "They all wanted to...to help?"

"Yeah, Tim. We had to set up a queue just to process them all."

"Wow," Tim said through the tears. "...just...wow. How can I thank them for that?"

"Get better, Tim."

"That's a tall order."

"I know, but I think you're up to it."

"I hope so." Tim flipped through a few more photos. "Wait, is this...it's Gibbs."

"Do you really think Gibbs would allow a few bullet wounds to keep him from being a part of it?"

Tim wiped away the tears. "Wow."

"That's not particularly eloquent, Tim."

With a weak arm, Tim reached out and pulled Abby close. He put his arms around her. "Everyone is being so...so great. I just...and I'm just sitting here."

Abby wrapped her much stronger arms around Tim and whispered, "It's not what you're doing, but who you are. That's why we're here, Tim."

"Thanks. Even if there's no match. Even if...even if this doesn't work out...I feel like...like it's not a waste of time."

"It will work out."

"It could not."

Abby let him go and stood back, her hands on her hips. "No, it will. I, Abigail Sciuto, forensic scientist, have decreed it."

Tim laughed. "Well, if you have pull with my cancer cells, you can let them know."

Abby picked up one of Tim's arms began speaking to it. "Hey, you hear me in there? This is Abby, and I'm telling you to get lost!"

"Well, that's a unique treatment. Can't say I've ever tried it," Dr. Scott said as he walked in the door.

Abby dropped Tim's arm and straightened quickly. "I was just..."

"No need to explain."

"What's going on? I've already had my cell counts for the day," Tim said. "Is something wrong?"

Dr. Scott shook his head and Tim could tell he was smiling. "No, for the first time, something is going right."

"What?"

"Against the odds, we found a match among your coworkers."

"A match?" Tim asked. He leaned forward. "A...A real match...to me?"

"Yes, Tim. Six out of six antigens."

"Who is it?"