"Hey. How you feelin'? " Gibbs asked as he stepped up to the bed.
"Like hell." Tim said without thinking. "Sorry." he offered as he'd apparently realized what he'd said.
"For what?" Gibbs asked in surprise.
"Everything." Tim answered as he looked Gibbs straight on. "Screwed up again, Boss." The quietly offered apology came from the same depths that the conversation three months ago had come from and it almost set more of Gibbs' heart crumbling .
"Yeah, 'bout that." Gibbs said quietly. "I want you to stop thinking that. Got me? Just concentrate on getting better and telling us everything you can remember about what happened if you're up to it."
"K." Tim answered dropping his eyes to the blanket on his bed. "You wanna statement?" Tim's raspy voice gave evidence that he was trying to push past the exhaustion and pain.
"Tim." Gibbs put a comforting hand on Tim's shoulder and looked him in the eye, compelling Tim to do the same. "I know it's gonna be hard but I need you to give us what you can, hmm?"
""K." Tim answered. "She called me right before I was shot. She asked me where I was. I screwed up, Boss. I told her I was out by the river. Even told her the store I'd just stopped at."
"Doesn't mean you screwed up. We found your original cell phone." Gibbs announced calmly
"What? Where?" Tim asked in shock.
"In your gear bag." The words acted like a whip, bringing tears of realization to Tim's eyes even as his mind fought the idea.
"That's impossible, I couldn't find it last night! I looked in my bag!" the young man rasped out as loud as he could manage.
"Where's the last place you remember it being, Tim?" Gibbs directed gently, knowing exactly what wa going on. Tim's heart was shattering amidst the pieces of painful truth but his mind was fighting it
On my nightstand in my bedroom." Tim's whispered painfully.
"Was she in your apartment at the time?" the boss' sympathetic tone pushed Tim's tears over the brink.
"Yes. She spent the night." The pained admission paled in comparison to the hurt written and etched into the lines of Tim's face.
"Probably messed with your alarm clock, too. All part of the plan to screw with your head, Probie." Tony said quietly as he entered the conversation for the first time. His heart was breaking for Tim. Needing to run things through with the boss, Tony had come looking for the man and wound up hearing the entire conversation, starting with Gibbs' belief that he was responsible because he'd encouraged Tim to continue trusting his instincts and not telling the team about her.
"God, I feel so stupid!" Tim muttered as he wiped at the tears that had slipped from the corners of his eyes.
"Tim. I know this is hard." Gibbs' sympathetic look told him he meant that on every level. "You're in pain and you're in for a long recovery. But, right now, we need you to focus on just the facts so we can find her, okay?"
"Yeah." The man answered quietly.
"Okay. Take us back to how you met her; her hangouts, her friends, her contact numbers, you know the drill." the boss directed without changing his tone.
Fifteen exhausted minutes later, Tim had told them everything he knew and had thankfully, fallen back asleep.
"I do hope that is the last inquisition you'll require of him, Jethro, I do not believe he is capable of another round of that." Ducky advised unhappily.
"I know, Duck. Had to be done, though. Kee an eye on him. Any problems, call me." Gibbs requested in a tone that suggested it wasn't the obvious problems he was concerned about.
"Certainly, Jethro."
Heading out to the squad room, Gibbs' heart ached for the young man he'd just put through the wringer in hopes he wouldn't have to ask him anything about it again. The kid had too much recovering to get through as it was .
"Whatta we got, Tony?" Gibbs asked as he got back to his desk.
"A call out. Navy Ensign reported missing, foul play suspected."
Tony answered as he and Ziva geared up and walked with Gibbs to the elevator.
"Anything on those surveillance tapes yet David?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes, Gibbs. An unknown woman was seen handing McGee's I.V. to Nurse Johnson. She accepted the bag from the unknown nurse and signed for it after apparently verifying that it was the correct iv. Then she brought it in to McGee's room and the we know the rest."
"Tony, you and Ziva take the truck, I'll meet you at the scene. After we've processed this scene, you two go pick up Nurse Johnson. I wanna talk to her." Gibbs directed as he got in the sedan and headed out to the scene.
The scene of the current case was eerily familiar with it's quiet streets with no cars and cute brick houses and manicured lawns. It sent tendrils of unease up Gibbs' spine.
"Watch your backs." He warned his agents. "Something doesn't feel right."
"I hear ya, Boss. This does smell fishy."
"There is too much quiet." Ziva observed cautiously. "How is it a neighborhood with this many residences is so quiet?"
"Most people aren't home during the day, Ziva. Working class families means kids are in school and parents are at work." Tony answered.
"All of these people and no one has a child young enough not to be in school?" Ziva asked skeptically. Where's the person who called it in?"
"The woman's boyfriend called it in. He seems to have disappeared. Ziva's right. Someone should be home around here." Gibbs said. "Put your vests on before going in." We're not walkin in to this as unprepared as Tim was."
Tony and Ziva watched silently as Gibbs walked toward the back of the truck after letting his emotions be heard in his instructions. They shared a look of compassionate understanding at how Gibbs was feeling and what Tim had to have gone through before they tabled their reactions and followed in Gibbs' footsteps to get their gear and put their vests on.
After they'd cleared the house,. Gibbs sent Tony and Ziva to talk to the neighbors while he checked the perimeter of the house and neighboring yards for access points and disturbances in the grassy areas Heading to the front of the house to get a visual check on his agents, he noticed an extremely agitated young man seemingly staggering down the street some 100 yards beyond where Tony and Ziva were across the street interviewing a neighbor who was home.
"Tony!" Gibbs called.
As Tony turned to Gibbs, the boss pointed at the agitated man. Ziva reacted with lightening fast reflexes, allowing her to reach the man before he'd gotten close enough to Gibbs to hurt him in any way. With Tony finally at her side, they both stood guard while Gibbs approached the man.
"What's your name?"
"Simon."
"Is there something wrong, Simon? You seem pretty agitated." Tony asked politely for Gibbs.
"I didn't wanna do it! She made me do it! And now she forced me to take matters in my own hands!"
"Simon. Slow down. Who made you do what?"
"Christina. Well, she goes by Liz, but her real name's Christina."
"Okay, what did she make you do, Simon?" Ziva asked carefully.
"I didn't wanna . I swear!"
"And we believe you. But you have to tell us what it is she made you do." Ziva pushed.
Simon hung his head and began sobbing.
"Bring him back with us. I'll go get the nurse." Gibbs directed "How many more neighbors have you got left ?"
"Already talked to the fews that answered their doors, Boss." Tony said.
"Okay, go. Get Ducky to give you an assessment on this guy before you start questioning him. See if you can get something from him for Abby to do a tox screen on him. If you get the all clear from Ducky, talk to him, together. "
"On it, Boss." Tony said as they cuffed the man as a safety precaution and headed back to the Yard with him.
Gibbs located Nurse Johnson at home and asked her to come back with him to answer some questions about the near fatal incident at the hospital. Since he'd asked nicely and she remembered him from the incident, she'd felt compelled to cooperate and was soon back at NCIS in a different interrogation room than Simon.
Simon had voluntarily given then a lock of his hair and Ducky had gotten him to pee in a cup, after convincing the man that they only had his best interests at heart and they wanted to make sure he was in good health since he looked ill.
"Why would she do that? I loved her! I warned her not to chase after him! I told her not to trick him like that. He was a fed for God's sake! I knew she was just leadin' him on so she could get her revenge on his boss! She always bragged about how easy it was to worm her way into his heart! It made me sick! Playin him like that! I loved her, damn it!" the man's raving had not stopped once they'd gotten the samples from him and left him in peace for a few moments.
His words were enlightening and worrisome at the same time. Both Tony and Ziva held out hope that this time, coincidences really do happen. After all, how else could you explain the fact that this man was practically handing them their evidence in McGee's case? They needed more information.
"Simon. Can you show me a picture of her?" Tony asked as he walked back into the room with Ziva on his tail.
The man dug out his wallet and produced a photograph that stopped Tony's heart. With careful control, Tony remained calm as he continued to ask the important questions.
"What's her full name, Simon? What does she do for a living?"
"She don't do nothin' Got booted from the Navy. Said she got blamed for another squid's death 'cause she didn't check the squid's id's closely enough when they came off shore-leave. Name's…
"Christine Solomon." Tony supplied in synch with Simon.